The Tough Get Going
by kezztip
Summary: What if Jackie went back to her job in Chicago instead of sticking around Point Place to take Hyde's crap? Say hello again to the strong, determined Jackie we saw glimpses of in Season 7 as she finds a new love but then is pursued by her old love JH AU
1. When the Going Gets Tough

Title: The Tough Get Going

Disclaimer: Don't own, ain't getting paid – that goes for all the chapters

Pairing: J/H

Summary: Jackie goes back to the news job in Chicago instead of hanging around Point Place as Hyde's punching bag. AU

Chapter 1 – When the Going Gets Tough

Once upon a time there were two very stubborn and impulsive people by the name of Hyde and Jackie. Their rash actions would constantly screw up their otherwise passionate relationship, as for instance when Hyde caught his recently ex-girlfriend with her long ago ex-boyfriend who was naked (aside from a towel) in a hotel room. Long story short, he instantly bailed on her, ran off to Vegas and in a drunken wedding he had no memory of, married a tawdry stripper. Now, most people would look back on these actions and wonder if maybe they had been a tad hasty. Unfortunately, admitting to errors in judgment was not Hyde's thing. This is how he came to be sitting in the basement playing cards with Kelso and Donna (he had strangely forgiven Kelso for his part in the whole fiasco), giving a thumbs up to his recent marriage.

"I gotta say," Hyde opened, "Sam is pretty cool."

"Yeah?" Donna replied in surprise.

"Yeah, yesterday for no reason at all, she grabbed a beer out of the fridge and just like gave it to me. I mean what is that all about?"

"Sounds like you've finally found a bright side to marriage, Steven," interjected Jackie as she walked into the basement, suitcase in hand.

"Yeah, it doesn't suck too bad – once you've found the right woman." Hyde drawled.

Jackie willed herself not to react, although with Hyde's usual talent for cruelty he had hit upon the most painful point.

"You going somewhere, Jackie?" Donna asked, deliberately turning the subject before Jackie's glare set Hyde on fire.

"I'm moving on and taking the next logical step."

"What's that?"

"Well, for one crazy moment I thought it would be going out to a bar, getting drunk and then throwing myself at some random stranger until I remembered hey, I'm not a slut – that kind of out of character behaviour only happens on _really bad _TV. No, I'm going back to Chicago."

"Didn't you quit your job? Cause you need to be earning money to survive on your own," Kelso advised. "I know, you think being incredibly good looking should get you heaps of free stuff, but the world isn't always fair."

"I did quit my job – kind of. I told my boss I was going back to my home town to explain to my boyfriend how I came to be alone in a hotel room with my naked ex-boyfriend and that as soon as I swore to him nothing had happened or was ever going to happen his deep love and trust for me would bridge the chasm between us and we would rush to City Hall to apply for a marriage licence. She looked at me funny for a minute… that's right, Donna, just like that… and said why don't we make the resignation effective in a week's time – just in case. So I'm going back before the week is up."

"Gotta say, Jackie, your farewell speeches are getting as predictable as I Love Lucy reruns," Hyde said in a bored tone. "So how long do you think you can stay away this time? I call 4 days in the pool."

"Put me down for 7," Fez piped up.

"I don't know, guys, she looks pretty angry," Kelso considered. "I'm going for 2 weeks. You can do it, baby. I believe in you."

"You guys are such jerks," Jackie said, voice trembling with fury. "Maybe I do have a hard time cutting ties to people I love – or loved," she said, looking at Hyde. "Some people would consider that a good quality. But I guess I should thank you for making this break so much easier. I think after recent experiences involving a heartless backstabbing bastard who shall remain nameless – "

"Oooh, I know who it is," Fez cried, jabbing his hand in the air.

" – that the next time you see Jackie Burkhart in Point Place the pigs in hell will be grounded due to the ice freezing up their wings."

"So – you're saying that 3 weeks would be a safer bet?" Kelso asked.

"Goodbye, Michael." Jackie turned coldly away from her goofy first ex and picked up her case. "Donna, you and Fez are welcome to visit me anytime. Give my best wishes and thanks to Mr & Mrs Forman and your Dad. I'll be in touch." Jackie purposefully strode to the basement door, but turned to face Hyde for the last word. "Hey, zenmaster," she baited. "you're so into foreign philosophies – ever heard of a thing called karma? Better sleep with one eye open, pal, because you've got a huge karmic kick in the ass coming your way."

And with that, Jackie made her final exit.


	2. Introducing Nick

Chapter 2 – Introducing Nick

_My next chapter – for Nick Braddon, think Nicholas Brendon (Xander from Buffy). Yum._

The offices of CRN Network News were typically a highly charged workplace, buzzing with journalists, editors, researchers and fact checkers rushing to do their jobs to a tight deadline. But as the sound of cursing became closer and louder, the rushing people paused a moment in their frantic activity to watch Nicholas Braddon storm through the main newsroom towards the office of Cecilia Horne, chief editor and head honcho. The men in the newsroom quickly resumed their work, discarding the scene as more of the arrogant young hotshot's histrionics. The female workers tended to watch a little longer, especially lingering on the way Nick's Levis perfectly set off his rear view. They were not to blame - Nick Braddon had been setting female temperatures rising since he was thirteen. It was a handy talent, one he had no scruples about using when it came to getting his copy typed, his food order fast-tracked or chasing stories. Just his luck that the one woman who did not melt under the warmth of his "Aw shucks Ma'am" grin was his boss.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing," he yelled at Cecilia as he slammed her door behind him.

"Sit down, Nick," she said, not looking up from the article she was red-inking. Nick ignored her and walked angry circles before her desk, venting his anger. When his editor continued to ignore him, he finally collapsed into a chair with a sulky huff. Only then did Cecilia put down her pen to say "You seem upset, Nick."

"Gee, no getting anything past you, Horne," the irate young man ground out.

"I take it you got my memo?"

"Your memo? Which memo would that be? Not the one where you assign me to the beauty queen rookie to trail after her as her trained lapdog while she reports on every nauseating fluff piece in Chicago? Is that the memo, Cecilia?"

"Every action has consequences, Nick. You had to have known your story about media magnates running political stories to skew elections would have some fallout."

"Damn it, Cecilia. The Guardian ran those stories muckraking Ellison two days before the election. Only after the results came in for their favourite did they print a page 12 retraction admitting some of their facts may have been inaccurate. It was the duty of any responsible reporter to let the public know how they'd been gypped."

"I agree," Cecilia said with her usual unflappable calm. "And if you had presented your story to me through the proper channels, we would have found a way together to expose the situation. What I don't agree with," Cecilia continued, her voice hardening, "was setting up your reporter to accuse The Guardian's owner in one of Chicago's finest restaurants. On _live_ television!"

Nick shrugged. "Reporting is all about opportunity, CeeCee. When you see Cole Jackson having lunch with our new Mayor's chief political advisor, you have to seize the day."

"Live?"

"Admit it, if I'd submitted it to you as a tape the higher ups would have buried it. Or if you ran with it against the pressure then your ass would be grass. This way you can put all the blame on my youthful high spirits. You should be thanking me and you know it!"

"Don't hold your breath, kid," Cecilia replied, gazing at the brooding young man before her, as always amazed by his sheer nerve. Any other reporter who tried a stunt like this would be cleaning out his desk 30 minutes after the story aired. But with Nick, it would be a criminal waste of talent to cut him loose. Plus every female in the office would want her head for banishing their eye candy. She had managed to convince Joe Talon, owner of the Network and golfing buddy of Cole Jackson, that it would be a more effective punishment to put Nick on fluff detail, the nickname for the feel-good filler pieces that networks push out to add some yeast to the heavy dough of real news. For a burning eyed idealist like Nick, there could be no worse punishment and Cecilia had been expecting fireworks.

"I won't do it, Horne. I'll quit before I'll churn out that kind of pap," Nick threatened.

"I think our legal department would have something to say to that. You've still got 2 years left on your contract. Plus you won't find another news job in Chicago – you know Talon and Jackson between them have every kind of media in this town sewn up." Taking pity on Nick's downhearted expression, Cecilia softened her tone. "Don't be stupid about this, Nick. Take your punishment like a good boy and when this has all blown over I'll put you back into the game."

Hot tempered Nick could be, but he knew when to fold his cards. Still, he didn't have to be graceful about it. "Fine. Whatever. But if this Wisconsin princess thinks she's the one calling the shots, she can just run back to whatever hick town you dug her out of. Make it clear to her that I'm the producer and chief camera – she's nothing but a pretty face that can read a teleprompter."

"So you think I'm pretty?" came a female voice behind him. Turning around he found an exquisite dark haired beauty, who's vapid opening comment was contradicted by the smouldering rage in her fine eyes – what were they, blue or green? Recovering his poise, Nick raked her form insolently from bottom up.

"Well, I wouldn't kick you out of my bed," he said after consideration. "But then I have been having a bit of a dry spell lately so my standards aren't too high."

"What a shame for you, Mr Braddon – mine are," bit out the pint sized girl. "And Point Place is not some hick town – it has been visited by the President himself! And Donny Osmond!"

"I stand corrected," Nick said, his sense of humour kicking in. "I apologise for any aspersions cast on your distinguished origins, princess. Although people who eavesdrop on private conversations shouldn't get too tetchy about the things they hear."

"Oh please! It's hardly eavesdropping when you didn't even take the trouble to close the door behind you properly. I could hear you from my office."

"Oh, I should have mentioned Nick," Cecilia chimed in, "you have to turn the handle when you close that door for it to shut properly." Nick's face reddened as he realised the entire office had witnessed his fury at and then submission to his punishment.

Muttering obscenities under his breath, Nick stormed out of the office with the same flair he had entered it.

"So that's my new co-worker?" Jackie asked, closing the door carefully. "Well, my life just keeps getting better and better."

"Oh, don't pay any attention to his bluster," Cecilia replied, waving Jackie to a seat. "He may not look it but he's the best story editor and producer we have at CRN – or will be once he learns to control himself. It's a stroke of luck for you to be assigned to him."

"Yes, I'm just feeling all kinds of lucky right now," said Jackie dryly.

"You should be. When you came back you said you wanted to put all your energy into learning this business and climbing to the top. Nick Braddon could do that for you."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Like I said, he's very talented – top of his class at CU Journalism. You learn to rub him the right way, there's no knowing how far he could take you."

"I have no desire to rub anything about him!" (although the image of his ass striding angrily away from her did suddenly flash into her mind). "But I am serious about my career so I'll try to get along with him. But if that sexy pig thinks he's calling all the shots he'd better think twice!"

"Sexy pig?"

"What? No, I said sexist. I mean… I'll just be in my office."

Cecilia Horne tapped her red pen against her teeth musingly as Jackie hurriedly left her office. _Well, I think this could lead to some entertaining developments._


	3. Life is Good

Chapter 3 – Life is Good

_Thanks for all the reviews. My aim is to get out one chapter each day._

Life is good, Steven Hyde thought as he lay next to his stripper wife on his fold-up cot in his friend's parents' basement. This was a phrase Hyde had been saying to himself quite frequently since he became a married man. It had become his mantra. Life is good, he would think after he finished pumping into Sam, because now he doesn't have to deal with all that nauseating lovey dovey crap that used to mess up sex. Life is good because now sex is all hot and bad and… mechanical. But hey, mechanical is good too - he'd always liked working with engines. Life is good because he didn't miss Sam when she was away for a week taking her clothes off for other men. Life is good because when _he _took her clothes off and found love bites on her body that he hadn't put there, there was no black jealousy destroying his cool. And to top it all, the blessing among counted blessings, life is good because he had not seen nor heard from Jackie Burkhart in the last 3 months. No Jackie with her whining voice, her lame burns, her pain-filled eyes. No Jackie and her needy grabs at attention, her petulant demands, her perfectly shaped legs set off by tight designer jeans that would hypnotise him so he would catch himself zoning out on everything else whenever she was walking by. Thank God for sunglasses and his pot-smoking reputation or people might have started thinking of him as some lovesick sap like Forman.

In her sleep, Sam cast her arm over Hyde's chest. Hyde let it lay there for a few seconds, but for some reason it kept getting heavier and heavier until the smothering pressure became unbearable. _Damn_, he thought, sliding out from under that arm and pulling on some pants, _why is her arm always so heavy? _Unbidden, the thought popped into his head _Jackie used to sleep with her whole body lying on top of me and it never felt heavy_. Shaking his head free of this useless memory, he made his way up to the living room wherein resided the only cable television in the house (despite his best cable-stealing efforts). He checked the clock – 3.00 am. The replay of the 6.00 pm Chicago news was about to start. He popped the beer in his hand and settled down to watch. Only because he liked to stay current with what was happening in the world. And the Chicago news had a hotter weather girl than the Wisconsin news. And 3.00 am was a perfectly sane time to watch the news – it had nothing at all to do with keeping his harmless nightly ritual a secret.

Twenty minutes later, Hyde was getting annoyed. Only ten minutes left, and all the reporters had left him dissatisfied. They were too tall, too old or too male. Finally, just when he had given up on seeing her tonight, the image of a petite brunette standing outside a seedy Chicago factory flickered across the screen. His body language immediately transformed from bored to total absorption as Jackie Burkhart reported on the discovery of exploited illegal immigrants stitching clothes for 14 hours a day on starvation wages. The objective viewer of Hyde would have found the close attention he gave Jackie's report ironic considering he had previously tuned out her voice as white noise back in the days when it had been a constant fixture. But then, the Jackie who had droned on about her hairstyle and bitched about rival cheerleaders was not quite the same as this serious faced young woman whose expressive eyes and voice communicated her pity for the downtrodden subjects of her story. Hyde crossed his fingers and prayed for a Jackie moment – every now and then, usually when the subject matter stirred something deep in her, Jackie would deviate from what she read on the teleprompter and put in her own totally Jackie viewpoint. Tonight was Hyde's lucky night.

"I would just like to say to all you bargain basement shoppers out there – please, cough up the extra ten bucks and buy retail! Not only will you be withdrawing your support from sweat shops such as this one, but the world will be a much more beautiful place with a lot less polyester." Retrieving her professional manner, she finished "This is Jackie Burkhart for CRN News." Despite himself, Hyde could not stifle an appreciative chuckle. "That's my girl," he said softly.

"Oh my," said a high pitched female voice behind him. "So, it's still that way?"

Hyde jumped so sharply he spilt his beer. "What? No! I just turned this on now – couldn't sleep – I was waiting for the weather girl to – it's not what you think."

Kitty Forman ignored his outburst and leaned her elbows against the back of the sofa, eyes trained on the TV. "I must say, she is really coming along. Two months ago they had her reporting on cat shows and water-skiing hamsters. Now Jackie's uncovering crime and corruption – and her outfits are always the cutest thing."

"It was a water skiing squirrel," Hyde said absently. "I mean, I think I heard about that from some guy down at the Hub – you know, we just started talking about… um… squirrels and… other manly topics…"

"Oh, give it up, Steven. I knew you liked that girl before you did. Do you really think you can make me believe you're not still crazy about her?"

"Mrs Forman! I'm a married man," Hyde said, a picture of offended prudery. "Jackie was just a case of temporary insanity."

"That lasted two and a half years?" Kitty said sceptically.

"I think there was some mind-altering chemical in her hairspray," Hyde said seriously. "I'm not saying it was all her fault – I think the government might have had something to do with it."

"I see," Kitty replied. "Well, I'm sorry for doubting you, Steven. I figured from the way you've been sneaking into our lounge room almost every morning at 3.00 am for the past two and a half months to watch the only news show that features Jackie that it had something to do with your unfinished relationship with her. Sometimes I jump to the most far-fetched conclusions – ha ha ha ha ha" she finished with her trademark laugh which Hyde half-heartedly joined in on until it stopped abruptly. "Don't you wish," she said, spearing him with a pointed look, "that this was one of those times?" With that, she sauntered back up the stairs to the peaceful sleep which would elude Hyde for the rest of the night.


	4. Where are they now?

Chapter 4 – Where are they now?

About 200 miles away, another young man lay in his bed next to an attractive girl thinking to himself "Life is good." He stroked her shoulder as she slept peacefully next to him, exhausted from his lovemaking. Gently sweeping the dark brown hair away from her forehead, Nick Braddon looked at Jackie with a wry smile. _Who would have thought?_

Who would have thought from their rocky beginning that Jackie would become his perfect partner, both professionally and in other areas? He thought back to her early efforts to win his approval – everything from low cut blouses to bringing him his favourite cream cheese bagel. His response had been to treat her like a mindless doll and make lewd insinuations which would lead to her temper flaring up. He chuckled at the memory – she was so hot when she was mad he just couldn't resist provoking her. One thing about Jackie, she was a quick learner. She soon found the ticket to his respect was to become damn good at her job. He remembered the day she had let him know she wasn't going to put up with any more crap from him.

"Braddon, when are you going to realise that until you get your head out of your ass and start teaching me how to be the best reporter in Chicago, you're only screwing yourself over?"

"How do you figure that, princess?" Nick had said as he packed away his camera at the end of a broadcast from the Illinois China Doll Expo.

Jackie grabbed his arm and turned him so he was looking into her eyes. "Just give me a chance, Nick," she said levelly. "Give me a chance and we'll be the best news team this city ever saw. Keep fighting me and you hurt your reputation as much as mine – you know my work reflects on yours."

"You just don't get it." Nick shook himself out of her grip. "How the hell can we put out anything good with the kind of shit we have to work with?"

Jackie had never thought of their stories as shit. Whenever she had watched the news, the fluff pieces were her favourite parts. "Well, what kind of story isn't…er… shit?"

"Hard news, baby. Political upheaval, crime bosses being prosecuted, fat cat corporations getting busted – stories that affect real people, real history. The kind of stories I was doing before I got busted down to fluff detail."

"It's not my fault you're doing these kind of stories, Nick." Jackie thought for a moment and then came to a decision. "Okay, here's the deal. You help me get what I want and I'll help you get what you want."

"What are you talking about?"

"You teach me all you know about reporting and I'll report the kind of stories you do best."

"Jackie, you know we have to do the stories we're assigned to," Nick answered in exasperation.

"Have to? I'm sorry, I thought you were the same Nick Braddon who shoved a camera in the Police Commissioner's face at his daughter's birthday party and hassled him about his Mafia connections. It must have been some other Nick Braddon."

"Yeah, I've broken rules, stolen stories – and look where it's got me."

"Nick, Nick, Nick" Jackie shook her head in amazement. "How ever did you get along before I came into your life? You're in the doghouse not because you broke rules but because you did it without finesse."

"Finesse? What the hell are you talking about."

Jackie gestured across the street towards Trellini's Restaurant. "Follow me, grasshopper and learn from the Master."

Mentally berating himself for obeying the tiny tyrant, he followed Jackie who managed to cross the street with a wiggling walk that distracted every red-blooded male on its receiving end, while at the same time tying the points of her shirt into a knot under her breasts.

"Why, Joel Hammond, is that you?" she cooed over a dapper middle aged man spooning pasta into his mouth. "Now don't tell me you've forgotten me? Jackie Burkhart? We met at the Richardson party last week."

"Why Jackie, of course, how could I forget such a gorgeous creature? I remember, we had a most engaging conversation regarding hair wands verses dryers. Will you be able to get away to New York for the spring collection? Walter and I are booked into the Hilton next week."

"Oh, where are my manners? Joel Hammond, meet my colleague Nick Braddon. Nick, this is Joel, Chicago's greatest authority on fashion and gossip. He is owner and head stylist at our city's leading salon."

"Hi," Nick said, uncomfortable with the way Joel was eyeing him like a cream cake he would very much like to bite into.

"Yes, Joel has the most prestigious clientele at his salon – the wife of every important politician, power broker and don trusts their hair to his genius. Joel, you must hear the most interesting things in your salon."

"Oh, Jackie, yes, the stories I could tell! But I really shouldn't."

However, whether it was the subtle refilling of his wine glass, Jackie's adoring attention or the way her shirt was tied (yes, he was gay but he could still appreciate), over the next two hours Joel told Nick and Jackie all kinds of things that he really shouldn't have. Nick sorted the information with rising excitement, discarding some tidbit as gossip and filing another away for future investigation. He could not help admiring the way Jackie skilfully charmed the information from the stylist.

"Not bad, Slick," he complimented her as he walked her home that night, an arm around her waist to steady her (Joel was not alone in sampling the wine). When they reached her apartment building's stoop he turned her around into his arms. "There may be hope for you yet," he decreed, favouring her with his devastating smile.

"Hey, don't go getting any ideas, Braddon," Jackie said while still propping herself up against him on shaky legs. "You and I are just business."

"Oh really?" Nick was amused. "Foolish girl, do you really think you can resist my charms?"

"I'm not sure. Let me see." With that, she took a step up so their faces were level, took his cheeks between her hands and kissed him slowly and thoroughly. Just as he was really getting into it and about to lock her body against his, she pulled away with a saucy smile and said, "Yep. Shouldn't be a problem." Then with her cocky wiggle walk she left him dumbfounded and aroused on her stoop.

From that day, a new partnership was formed. Nick taught Jackie how to research facts, substantiate stories and the rules of journalism which were his most sacred creed. He taught her how to look through the camera into the eyes and hearts of their viewers and tell them a story rather than read them the news. She in turn stood by him when they started turning in stories which could by no stretch of the imagination be regarded as fluff pieces and when Joe Talon himself had called them into his office to answer for their actions, she somehow managed to charm the gruff old media magnate into giving them more freedom in their subject matter. Between her finesse and his journalistic experience, they were fast becoming CRN's greatest asset.

The best part of the journey to Nick's mind was the sexual excitement between them. Both of them were born flirts and had a connoisseur's admiration for the other's gifts. It started with a smouldering look during a story pitching session, a little sexual innuendo in their banter, the way she would accidentally brush her breast against his arm as she passed him in a corridor. His attention well caught, Nick pursued in earnest, stealing kisses from Jackie when she least expected it, running his hand down her back when standing behind her on location. For some reason, Jackie was hesitant to cross the flirting line, even after he made it clear he was seriously interested in her. Then came Nick's lucky break – a contact of his leaked information about a sweat shop being run down by the river. It was the most important story they had done together, an exclusive for the network, and the thrill of chasing and then breaking the story had finally swept away whatever had been holding Jackie back. The cab drive back from the sweat shop had been a tangle of limbs, lips devouring each other's flesh, desperate hands trying to stroke, fondle and caress every part of each other they could. He didn't know what note he gave the driver – from the way he sped off it was probably a fifty – but it was worth it as he and Jackie worked off three months of a sexual tension that had begun from the first moment he laid eyes on her.

"Hey, you" he heard her soft voice next to him. "Can't sleep?"

"I've got the rest of my life to sleep," Nick replied. "But there's only one night in history that will be the first night you finally gave in and admitted you're crazy about me. About time, Burkhart."

"Don't get a big head, Braddon. I just couldn't stand the way your puppy dog eyes were following me around everywhere. You know what a soft heart I have."

"That's not the only soft part of you," Nick retorted as his hands explored Jackie, causing giggles, hand slaps and then gasping moans. Just before Jackie drifted off to sleep after their encore performance, she murmured "Wait until Sharon finds out. She's definitely going to be all 'I told you so'."

"Yeah," Nick said distractedly. The mention of his lifelong best friend's reaction to their liason for some reason killed his mood slightly. He guessed it was because she was like a sister to him.

Sharon and Nick had grown up together in a small Illinois town west of Chicago, living three houses down from each other since he was 5 and she was 4. Ever since kindergarten they had been there for each other – he was her chief tormenter and staunchest defender, she was his personal cheerleader and greatest critic. They had grown up discovering the world together – any new experience was incomplete if it wasn't shared with the other. It was only natural, in a way, that when they became teenagers they would explore love and sex together. Four months after they declared their love, their relationship had ended in jealousy and heartbreak that took a year to recover from. Both had come so near to losing the most important person in their life that they vowed never again to try to be more than friends. _Our friendship is the most solid relationship in my life_, Nick thought with a fond smile. Jackie didn't know it, but that day 6 weeks ago he had introduced her to Sharon he had put his seal of approval on their relationship, vague as it was back then. He had been nervous about how Sharon would take to Jackie, but to his relief they hit it off from the start. Since then, when he went down to the corner coffee shop to meet Sharon for their daily catch-up, Jackie would be with him. When a new jazz club opened or a favourite comedian was in town, the three of them would form a tight knit group.

_Yeah, Sharon is definitely going to rub it in_, Nick thought ruefully. She had never bought their protests that they were just workmates, back in the day when they were refusing to admit their attraction. He remembered the dance club they had gone to last Saturday night, how she had teased Jackie to admit that it was the slow dancing with Nick and not the heat that had her blushing. Jackie had turned the tables on her; "Enough with this constant probing into my love life! When are we going to meet this mystery man of yours? I'm starting to wonder if he's real."

"Well said," Nick concurred. "You say he is rich, powerful and would make Robert Redford look homely but can't give us a name? Something's wrong with that equation, Shar."

"Lay off," she had laughed, shaking back her long dark hair. "I told you, he's just trying to keep a low profile at the moment and doesn't want his name appearing in any gossip columns, which they definitely would if he was seen with Sharon Wilder, the most striking young talent in Chicago theatre."

"That doesn't explain why you can't tell us – we don't write for gossip columns. Sure, Jackie lives and breathes them but we don't contribute." He rubbed his arm where Jackie had frogged it.

"You are the last person I would tell, Nick," Sharon said. "When we were kids you made fun of every guy I ever dated. Now we're adults you're even worse – like that security check you ran on Dan, or the way you shook Peter down for no good reason."

"You know I'm just looking out for you. Dan had a prison tatt and I caught Peter speaking gang slang. Plus I know you're track record – if there's one maladjusted psycho in a room of good guys, you'd make a bee line for him every time."

Sharon had responded by throwing peanuts at him until Jackie had laughingly broken up the fight by pulling Nick back onto the dance floor. _Good times_, Nick thought as sleep finally claimed him.


	5. Hyding Out

Chapter 5 –Hyding Out

"Yeah, sure Sam. Uh huh. No problem. Sure, you do that. OK, bye."

"Sam's at another convention?" Fez asked Kitty as he speared a piece of bacon off Hyde's plate while he was held captive by the phone.

"Of course," Kitty replied in a loud whisper. "I think she sees this place as a rest stop between her engagements. I would say something to her if it weren't that the house always feels more like a home when she's gone." Just then Hyde hung up the receiver. "Oh Steven, how is your lovely bride?" she chirped.

"Fine," Hyde said, slathering butter on his toast.

"Will she be home for dinner? I need to know how many pork chops to buy."

"No. Actually she just called to say she's leaving me. Fez, did you steal my bacon again? How many times do I have to frog you, man?"

"What do you mean she's leaving you?" Kitty repeated in astonishment. Hyde nodded his head as he munched on his toast. He swallowed and took a sip of orange juice.

"Yeah, seems she ran into her first husband at this Proctologist Convention – hey, Red should go to one of those, he loves putting things in people's asses," Hyde chuckled. Kitty gave him a strange look. "Oh right, where was I? Yeah, they hit it off and decided to give it another try."

"I can't believe her! She broke up with you over the phone? Where's her remorse? What kind of person does something like that?"

"Hey, it's no big deal. These things happen."

"No big deal? I think you'll find divorce is a very big deal."

"That is true," Fez interjected. "I remember my divorce from Laurie – the paperwork alone aged me 10 years. That's why I look so much older than 18."

"That's the best part. Turns out our marriage was never legal because she was still married to this other guy when she married me. So that's a free pass on the alimony," Hyde said, high-fiving his fellow divorcee.

Kitty regarded Hyde with concern. "Steven, I can see you are putting up a brave front to hide your feelings. I just want to say that you can think of me as a _safe place_." She reached across the table to hold his reluctant hand. "It's alright to admit your pain, Steven. It's OK to cry."

"Aiii," Fez moaned, tears streaming from his eyes. "I will never again see her dressed as a jeanie and spanking herself." He lowered his head into his arms, sobbing as Hyde disengaged himself from Kitty in obvious discomfort.

"Look, I don't need to cry or any crap like that," he insisted. "You don't understand, that was the beauty of our marriage. It was completely open and free, not possessive. Sam was more like a friend than a ball and chain – we said from the start we weren't going to weigh each other down with limitations and emotional blackmail."

"So, the end result of this beautiful marriage is that you can just let her walk away without either of you feeling any hurt?" Hyde nodded in satisfaction. "I'm sorry, Steven, but you were never married in any sense of the word."

Later that day Hyde and Fez were watching TV in the basement, awaiting Donna and Randy's return. The happy couple had been spending the weekend with Jackie in Chicago, the first time anyone from the group had seen Jackie (in the flesh that is) in 4 months. Donna had been so caught up with her friendship with Sam, then her heartbreak over Eric and now her new boyfriend that she had not really had time for Jackie aside from an occasional phone call. Hyde had secretly been surprised that Jackie had not been more pushy in trying to get Donna to visit, considering how starved for companionship she had been the last time she left for Chicago. It was only when Donna was looking around for someone to gush to about how hot Randy is that she felt the need for her "best friend".

Suddenly the basement door was swung open violently as a furious red haired giant marched through. She slammed the door behind her into the face of her new love.

"Ow! Donna, will you quit overreacting! All I did was agree with you," Randy whined, rubbing his nose.

"You weren't supposed to agree with me, dumbass! When your girlfriend says 'Don't you think Jackie is attractive?' you're supposed to say something like 'not compared to you'. You do not say 'Oh my God, yes'!"

"I thought you'd be pleased that I liked your friend," Randy said feebly.

"Pleased? Pleased? Haven't I gone through enough this weekend with Jackie lording it over me that my own boyfriend has to drool over her as well?"

"Hey, time out guys. What's all the commotion about?" Hyde refereed.

"Donna's just jealous because the girl she tells me is her best friend is doing terrific," Randy summarised, flopping onto the couch.

"Jealous? Me jealous of Jackie? That's ridiculous! If anyone was jealous, it was Jackie. She was always 'Oh, I'm the fairest in the land and you're a lowly lumberjack' on the surface, but she was always jealous that I was the one the guys leered over, not her. I'm Hot Donna, dammit!"

"She's mad because everywhere we went with Jackie all the guys were falling over themselves to get next to her," Randy explained.

"Really?" Hyde said, his hand tightening around his beer can. "Wow, they must be starved for female companionship in Chicago."

Donna took the chair farthest from Randy, folding her arms over her chest. "I don't believe her. It's not enough she's taken the career I was meant to have, but she has to steal my boyfriend's attention as well. After the way she acted this weekend, no way am I going to host a reconciliation with Sam."

"What!" said Hyde and Fez.

"Oh yeah," Randy said, rolling his eyes. "Donna was telling me when we were driving to Chicago her brilliant idea to invite Jackie to her house one weekend and have Sam waiting there so they could get to know each other and all be part of the same gang."

Fez looked at Donna like she had grown an extra head. "You thought to throw together Jackie and the woman who got Hyde to marry her in one night when Jackie had spent years waiting for a proposal? That is the absolute dumbest idea in this basement's history of dumb ideas – and that includes all of Kelso's contributions."

"Hey, I was just trying to get the group back to normal again. First Eric leaves, then Jackie and last month it was Kelso. I mean, what's so impossible about Jackie and Sam getting along someday?"

"Well, for one thing Sam has left Hyde for her first husband – that could put a crimp in your plans," Fez said.

"What? Are you serious?" Donna looked at Hyde in shock. "Oh man, are you OK, Hyde?"

"Never better," Hyde answered, swigging his beer.

Donna looked at him suspiciously. She knew Hyde's dislike of betraying emotion. "Aren't you going to miss her?"

"Well, yeah – every night. But there's a couple of easy girls who come into the shop to buy Queen records – one of them will be happy to take her place in my bed."

"You really meant it when you said you don't love people, didn't you?" Donna said with a frown.

"I mean what I say," Hyde said with his best shit-eating grin. With a disgusted huff for the male gender in general, Donna left the basement.

"So, Randy," Fez said, crossing his legs as he turned towards his nemesis. "I note you are pale and there are shadows under your eyes. This is a sure sign that your Andy Gibb good looks have peaked and will steadily decline from now on. Ah, burn!"

"Some cucumber slices will take care of that, Fez. Don't worry about me. This is just because of last night with Donna."

"Donna rode you hard last night, did she?" Hyde asked, his interest caught.

"You have no idea – I've never known her to be so – "

"Sexy?"

"Insatiable?"

"Competitive," Randy finished. "We could hear Jackie and Nick making out in the bedroom next door and Donna decided there'd be at least one thing that weekend she would do better than Jackie. I had to do it with her three times – on demand! You know how hard it is to perform when your girlfriend is hissing at you to make her scream with pleasure at once!"

"Yeah, bummer. So… who's Nick?" Hyde said.

"Oh, that's Jackie's boyfriend," Randy answered. "He's also her producer – that's how they met."

"Well now, good for Jackie," Hyde said, absently twisting the pull ring of his empty can. "Good for Jackie. Nice to know she's moved on so fast – I suppose she fell into his bed within a week after leaving here. Little miss deep-and-undying-love just couldn't wait to give it up – and what a coincidence that she picked someone who could advance her career. Oh yeah, no wonder she's doing so well in journalism." The pull ring snapped off with a noise like a gunshot.

Randy looked at Hyde weirdly. "Actually, they've only been together for a month and he's not her boss, they work together – it's an equal partnership. They seemed like a great couple."

Fez looked at Hyde's clenched jaw with trepidation. "Er, I think Hyde needs some alone time now, Randy." With the grace of a startled rabbit, Fez exited the basement.

"Yeah, I'm gonna make myself scarce before Donna thinks of some more names to call me. Later, man." Randy followed Fez.

At first Hyde did not realise they had left but stared into his beer can, lost in dark thoughts. Unluckily for Donna, who had just re-entered the basement to retrieve her coat, at that moment Hyde hurled the offending can as far away from him as possible – in her direction.

"Oooow!" she howled, holding her shoulder in pain.

"Oh man, Donna – I - I didn't see you there," Hyde stammered. "Are you OK?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, you idiot?" Donna screeched.

"Here, sit down. Did it cut you?" He rolled back her sleeve anxiously.

"No, but it's going to bruise. What were you trying to do?"

"I'm sorry, I just felt so full of rage, like I had to find some release for it or I'd explode," Hyde admitted.

Admissions of any kind of emotion were such a rare thing with Hyde that Donna forgot her own grievance. "I guess losing her finally caught up with you, didn't it?" she said more gently.

"Yeah, I guess," Hyde said, more to himself than to her.

Donna thought for a moment. "Look, Hyde, if you want to be with her you have to go to her and tell her that. Be completely open for once in your life and stop protecting yourself."

"How the hell can I do that, Donna? She's in love with another guy – she's happy with him."

"You don't know that," Donna said, stepping in front of him so she could look into his miserable face. "You won't know that until you lay your heart on the line and let her know how you feel and what you're willing to offer her if she'll come back to you."

"You really think she'd give everything up to come back to me?" Hyde asked hopefully.

"Well, sure. I mean, she did marry you – she must have strong feelings for you," Donna encouraged. When she noticed Hyde's blank expression, her eyes widened. "You weren't talking about Sam, were you?"


	6. Oh no, not you again

Chapter 6 – Oh no, not you again

Jackie had learnt a great deal since she came to Chicago – how to find and report stories, how to pay her own bills, how to bring a man to her side with one glance. As she fanned the smoke away from the pot roast, however, she glumly admitted that her cooking skills were no farther along.

"Oh well. We've been meaning to try the takeout from that new Chinese place anyhow," she said to herself philosophically as she dumped the charred mess into the rubbish. Glancing at the clock, she estimated Nick should be finished with the editing of their latest piece by now and would be home in 30 minutes. Not that it was his home – they still kept separate apartments, even though they rarely slept apart. Even though she loved being with Nick she still preferred keeping her life separate from his – a new twist for the girl who could never be alone, the girl who had started planning her wedding with Steven from the first time he had (accidentally) called her his girlfriend. _All part of growing up_, Jackie thought, as she scanned the local directory for Wok and Spring Roll's number. Much better to have a boyfriend she did not feel all dependent and frantic over and keep her self-respect. Great sex, great friendship and a lot of laughs, that's what Nick meant to her and such a relief after all the soap opera drama she had been through this past year.

Twenty minutes later, the security buzzer sounded – _Great, the food's here_ she thought as she buzzed the delivery guy through the front door. When the knock echoed on her door, she opened it with an appreciative smile for the fast service – only to have the smile die on her lips as she confronted the man she had promised herself to spend the rest of her life avoiding.

"Steven?" she said as if there was some doubt.

"Hey, Jacks," he said quietly. He took advantage of her amazement and walked through the door. He turned and waited for her to say something, but she continued staring at him like he had risen from the dead. Uncomfortable, he said "You know, you shouldn't buzz people in like that without knowing who they are."

"I – I thought you were the delivery guy," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in Chicago – just to visit Kelso – when I was passing by your building and thought I'd just – you know – pop in."

"Pop in? You don't pop in on a girl you've emotionally scarred, Steven. There are rules to the pop in!"

"I think we both got cut, Jackie. Why don't we just call it even?"

"Oh I don't know, how about because we are nowhere close to even. How about for us to be even when it comes to pain you would have to have your arms and legs tied to four wild horses in a lightening storm." But Hyde was not listening, he was too busy drinking in Jackie's appearance. She had never looked so good to him – no wonder she was stopping traffic here in Chicago.

"Sam's gone," he blurted out. This stopped Jackie mid-diatribe.

"Gone? Gone where?"

"Don't know. Don't care. I never loved her, Jackie. We were just using each other for sex, when you come down to it."

"So you're saying you turned your back on what we could have had for a woman you didn't even love? And you think not caring about her makes it better?"

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say." Hyde wished Jackie would stop looking at him like she was trying to figure out exactly what kind of creep he was. "I chose someone I didn't care about because I didn't want to care anymore – because caring for you had hurt too much. But I made a mistake. I admit it," he said, making a great concession.

Jackie felt a strong urge to back away from this conversation before it brought down the happy, contented little world she had built for herself.

"I'm suddenly getting some strong déjà vu here," Jackie said. "Last time you surprised me in Chicago, Michael walked in to kill the mood. Now I have a boyfriend who will be here any minute and I think it would be best if you left before he arrived."

Hyde felt himself die inside to hear Jackie apply the word "boyfriend" to someone who wasn't him.

"Yeah, sure," he said woodenly as he walked towards the front door. Then he swung around so abruptly Jackie bumped into him, a full frontal bumping. He whipped off his sunglasses then held her forearms in his grip, transfixing her with his unprotected blue gaze.

"Jackie, I'll be damned if I'm leaving here before I've said what I came to say. That's what always happens – like when I went down to the TV station that time, I almost told you then but I chickened out because I thought you didn't need me. Or when I ran off to Vegas instead of kicking Kelso's ass and finding out exactly what had happened between you two. I'm not running anymore. Even if it's too late and it won't do any good, I have to tell you that –"

"What?" Jackie asked, breathless.

"That I – that – you win."

Jackie blinked. "Win? Win what?"

"Well – me. Marriage, kids, the whole 9 yards. My life just doesn't feel right without you in it, Jackie, and I'm willing to pay the price to have you back."

_Fool_, Jackie berated herself furiously. _Fool for hoping for one second, fool for thinking he is someone other than he is._ She shook his hands off her. "Pay the price?" she repeated, voice trembling. "I win? Do you see yourself as some grand prize, Steven? Because from where I'm standing I'm just not seeing it."

"What's wrong with you?" Hyde asked, frustrated because he had seen something in her eyes for a fraction of a moment before he had at some unknown point said the wrong thing. God, words were such a minefield for him, always blowing him up when he thought he was stepping on safe ground.

"Did you ever ask yourself why I left for Chicago the first time, Steven? Why I didn't wait for your answer as to whether you would marry me some day?"

"I've forgiven you for that, Jackie. You just panicked. Let's put it behind us," he answered, unsure of what she wanted to hear.

"I left," she continued, "because Eric told me you were so upset at the prospect of spending the rest of your life with me that you went to a beer warehouse and got stinking, passed-out drunk."

"What? You knew about that?"

"Over and over, you do this to me, reeling me in only to smash me over the head again. There was this nurse, Jackie. Did you really think I was going to wait for you, Jackie. Have a nice trip, Jackie. Well, no more. You're not the prize in this relationship, bucko, I am! You should be praising God on your knees that I was willing to marry you. I would have been the best thing that ever happened to you, but you didn't have brains enough to see that."

"I can't believe what a bitch you are being," Hyde snarled, throwing his own temper into the ring. "I pour my heart out to you and this is the thanks I get?"

"Poured your heart out? More like threw me a bone. But that's you all over, Steven. You are stingy with your compromises, stingy with your approval and stingy with your love. I deserve a man who can offer me his heart with both hands and I'm not settling for less." Drawing a deep breath, Jackie moderated her voice. "Please go now, Steven."

Blue fire snapping from his eyes, Hyde shouldered past her and strode angrily out her door. Jackie sat down on the armchair, rubbing her arms which were suddenly chilled. At some point the Chinese food arrived, though she had no memory of paying for it. As the lemon chicken congealed in the cardboard boxes, she suddenly realised that Nick should have arrived an hour ago. He was three hours late when he finally walked in the door with a face as grey as a winter sky.

"Nick? What is it?" she asked in alarm.

His brown eyes full of pain, Nick choked out "Jackie, I have some… very bad news."


	7. What is she doing?

Chapter 7 – What is she doing?

_I'm a tease, I know, but this chapter has more questions that answers. For Dexter Tanner, think of Ewan MacGregor as Catcher Block in Down With Love and then make him evil.  
_

When Hyde returned to Point Place no-one needed to ask him how things went – his wrathful demeanour said it all. His friends left him alone for a week before they had the courage to question him. The interrogation took the form of Randy and Fez pushing Donna into his room and holding the door shut until she had some answers for them.

"So I take it Jackie said no?" she hazarded.

At first it appeared Hyde was going to ignore her question and her presence, but then some more of his bottled-up anger came fizzing out.

"I don't know what I was thinking, giving her a second chance. I offered her everything she ever hounded me for, Donna, and the ungrateful little bitch threw it back in my face."

"Really? You asked her to marry you?" Donna gaped. "But hang on – didn't your wife just leave you the day before you asked her?"

"What difference does that make?"

"Oh, I don't know, that she thought you only asked her because you were trying to fill a vacancy in your bed. I mean, did you tell her you were sorry?"

"Well, no, but I did tell her that I forgave her."

Donna looked at Hyde like he was a mental patient. "You think Jackie was the one who needed forgiving? At least tell me you told her you love her." Hyde was silent. "Hyde!"

"It was totally implied!"

Shaking her head, Donna left his room, muttering "Dumbass!"

So things plodded along in Point Place with Hyde going through the motions of eating, sleeping and working each day (his working and sleeping were closely related). He wore his anger like a bullet proof vest, impervious to depression, except for those times when he overheard an Abba song or The Love Boat theme. People tended to leave him alone as he spent more time shut in his room. To his friends, the worst sign was that he hardly ever started a circle anymore, as though even that act of community was too much for him.

Therefore, when Kelso burst into the basement two months later and asked for Hyde, the three remaining basement dwellers discouraged him from disturbing the recluse. Kelso ignored their warnings and made for Hyde's room with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

"Hyde, man, we've gotta talk."

Hyde moved his arm over his eyes to block out the dim light from the basement. "Get bent, Kelso," he growled. "I'm resting."

Kelso turned on the light and nudged Hyde roughly with his foot. "Dammit, this is important." Hyde responded by grabbing Kelso's ankle and twisting it until his friend collapsed onto the floor.

"I'm in no mood for your stupid problems, man. Just tell whatever poor bimbo you knocked up this time you had a vasectomy so it couldn't be yours."

"I'm not the one in trouble, Hyde. Jackie is."

These words pierced Hyde's funk. "Jackie's in trouble?"

"Yeah, and I think you're the only one who can do something about it."

Hyde sat up and raked his fingers thorough his fro. Kelso got a good look at Hyde's new moustache and jumped back, startled. "Dude, what's that thing crawling underneath your nose? Quick, have you got some roach spray?"

"Just tell me about Jackie, you dilhole."

"Well, when I moved to Chicago I was too busy at the Playboy Mansion to see much of Jackie – you know, I had to settle into my job," his face grew dreamy as he remembered the 'settling in' until Hyde punched his arm, "but we met for coffee every now and then and she seemed to be doing great. Loved her job, crazy about her boyfriend, glowing with sexual satisfaction – " his tactlessness earned him another punch. "But something has happened to her these last two months. Last month when I ran into her by chance she looked all worried about something but wouldn't tell me what it is. I asked her about her guy and she said they had broken up, but she didn't seem upset about it. I don't think that's what was on her mind."

"Really? They broke up?" Hyde interjected.

"Yeah, but don't get your hopes up, man. I know, I thought this would be my chance for a little rebound action and Jackie sure does look good these days but when I put the moves on her she just shook her head and said she wasn't available. And this morning Miss July was reading Cosmo to me in bed when we came across this!" Kelso pulled a crumpled magazine article out of his pocket and handed it to Hyde.

Hyde squinted to read, "The Hottest Couple in Town. Lately CRN's brightest light, Jackie Burkhart, has been glued to the arm of Chicago's most delectable bachelor, Dexter Tanner. Has this millionaire playboy found love at last?" Underneath the article was a picture of Jackie resplendent in a dark green cocktail dress slow dancing in the arms of a disgustingly good looking man. The huge smiles on their faces gave strong credibility to the article's claims.

"So she found a new sap to torture," Hyde said dismissively, reaching for his sunglasses to hide his eyes. "What the hell does that have to do with me, you dilhole?"

"Hyde, this guy, Dexter," Kelso said in what was almost a stage whisper, "he's not a good guy."

"What, you mean he's a cheater? Good!" said Hyde, lying back down.

"No, I mean that girls he dates usually get hurt – and I'm not talking emotionally." This caught Hyde's attention. "Tiffany – Miss February – she's been to some of his parties, the kind that don't make it into the social pages, and there is some bad shit going down there."

"Like what?"

"Like drugs. Orgies. S & M. You name it, this guy's into it. But because he's old money and smart, he keeps it hushed up. Tiffany's friend used to date him – nice small town girl just like Jackie – until he got her hooked on heroin. She OD'd last year. And she wasn't the first."

These revelations left Hyde shaken. "Jackie wouldn't take drugs, man – she's smarter than that. Just tell her all of this stuff and she'll dump his sorry ass."

"I think she's hooked on this guy, Hyde. When I found out all this I went over to her place and told her everything but she just said not to worry about her, that she knew what she was doing."

"Shit," Hyde said, pacing his room in agitation. "She probably thought you were lying – that it was one of your lame attempts to get with her." Kelso was about to say something in his defence but Hyde cut him off. "I'll have to tell her myself."

"Good. You can drive back with me tonight. You can even stay at the Playboy mansion with me as my guest – well, that is if you…" Kelso looked at Hyde's face uneasily.

"What?"

"You're gonna have to shave off the soup strainer, man. If the other guards get a look at that mo they'll think you're a porn star and won't let you near the bunnies."

Late that night, back in Chicago a sleek expensive limousine drew up in front of Jackie's building. A smoothly handsome man in a tuxedo opened the door for his companion, clasping her hand as she exited the car as gracefully as a dancer. Jackie smiled invitingly at her escort as he walked beside her to the front door.

"So is this the night, my little tease? Are you finally going to fulfill the promise your eyes have been making to me all night?"

"Now Dex, please," Jackie replied with a shy upward glance through her dark lashes. "We've only known each other a month. I've told you, I need to have complete trust in a man before I can, well…" she finished her sentence in a whisper in his ear that made his nether regions twitch. She had this ability, Dexter Tanner had found, of appearing both completely innocent and seductive at the same time. It had been a long time since a woman had made him work this hard, and he found himself enjoying the hunt.

He plied her lips with soulful kisses, stroked her soft shoulders, trailed his fingers over her cleavage, taking satisfaction in her breathy sighs. Finally, she pushed him gently away and with a final kiss whispered good night.

As she walked into her building and up the stairs to her apartment, she could not stop shivering, which was strange because it was a warm night. As she opened her apartment door, she was startled by a muscular arm tightening around her waist and then pulling her into an embrace which seemed to restore the heat to her body. Jackie breathed in the sweet, safe smell of this man she had come to care deeply for. He whispered hopefully in her ear "Did you get it?"

Regretfully she replied, "No, Nick."


	8. The Trouble With Sharon

Chapter 8 – The Trouble With Sharon

"How was Singapore?" Jackie asked.

"Rough," Nick replied tersely.

"Did you get to see her?"

"After two weeks of diplomacy and bribes I got a half hour visit." Nick kicked at the ottoman in frustration. "God, Jackie, I hardly recognised her. She's skin and bones now. But Sharon just made a joke about how when she gets back to the States she will patent the Changi Prison Diet and make a fortune."

"She thinks she'll be getting out? Has there been any progress with her case?" Jackie asked hopefully.

"No, that's just Sharon trying not to worry me," Nick passed a hand over his unshaven face. Jackie thought that he had lost a few pounds himself. Ever since he had received the news that fateful night two months ago that Sharon had been arrested in Singapore for possession of 30 kilos of heroin, he had carried the strain in his eyes. "There's no good news, Jackie. In fact…" his voice broke on a strangled sob.

"Nick, what is it?" Jackie cried.

"The appeal was denied," Nick breathed. "The execution is going ahead in 5 days."

Jackie's legs suddenly felt like jelly so she lowered herself carefully onto the couch next to Nick. Silently she grasped his hand and squeezed it, both giving and asking for comfort.

"Why did you come back?" she asked softly. "I mean, wouldn't you want to be with her?"

Nick turned to her, his face set in harsh lines. "There's nothing I can do for her in Singapore anymore. Her only hope is if we can get evidence against Tanner and clear her name."

Oppression settled on Jackie as she realised that her friend's life depended on whether she could entice an admission of guilt out of Dexter Tanner. This was the goal she had set herself when they realised how Sharon had been set up.

The night Nick had broken the bad news to Jackie, they had caught the first plane to Singapore. Bluffing that they were part of Miss Wilder's legal counsel, they had managed to meet with Sharon in a foul smelling prison visitors room. Sharon had been distraught, her usually immaculate dark hair dishevelled, her face nude of make-up and her eyes swollen from crying. A far cry from the elegant young woman that Jackie had laughed with over countless cups of coffee. It was then they learnt how she had been betrayed by her lover, Dexter Tanner.

Dexter had romanced Sharon in a surreptitious fashion that had appealed to her sense of drama – he would send his bodyguards to whisk her away in limousines to his family estate. He had made sure that the only witnesses to their relationship were people in his employ, and had sworn Sharon to secrecy. He had taken her on exotic weekend getaways to holiday resorts in Bali and Phuket, but each time when it came time to return to the States he would be on a different plane, pleading last minute business emergencies. It was clear that Sharon had been his pawn on these other occasions for her luggage was always handled by Dexter or his men and Dexter would always arrange for one of his people who waited on them to take care of the unpacking. Sharon's luck ran out in Singapore Airport where new security measures in the form of sniffer dogs found 20 kilos of heroin inside a false lining in the suitcase that had been one of Dexter's first gifts to her.

"I am such an idiot," Sharon had sobbed. "I suspected maybe he was keeping me under wraps because he had another woman. I never thought it was because he was using me as a drug mule."

"Sharon, I swear to you we will get you out of here," Nick had promised gravely.

After setting a legal defence in motion in Singapore, Nick and Jackie had returned to Chicago to find incriminating evidence against Dexter Tanner but had drawn a blank. There were whispers of secret parties and drugs, but every time they would try to verify the rumours it was like trying to nail a wave to sand. It was when Jackie had spotted Dexter at a black tie fundraiser she had conceived of her scheme to get close to the smooth faced bastard and somehow make him incriminate himself. She had used all her charm and sexuality as well as her research on Dexter's likes and dislikes to make herself fascinating to him. Nick had at first been resistant to the idea but as all his other attempts failed, he reluctantly came to depend on Jackie's plan.

"So, did the bastard say anything we can use tonight?" Nick asked.

"Afraid not," Jackie replied, drawing out a small tape recorder from her purse and pushing the Stop Record button. "Nothing but useless dinner party conversation. But I did get something from an unlikely source yesterday," Jackie offered more hopefully. "Michael came to see me yesterday to warn me against Dex. He said he knows a girl from the Playboy mansion – Tiffany Anderson – whose been to one of Dexter's drug parties. Maybe she knows something or saw Dex and Sharon together. Remember, Sharon's lawyer said if we could just find a witness who saw Dex with Sharon as a couple, it would give a whole lot more weight to Sharon's story. As it is, it's her word against his that they even knew each other."

Nick considered this. "OK, one of us should interview her. Let's leave that for now – I'm dead on my feet." Nick groaned as he stood up and pulled Jackie along with him. Supporting each other, they made their way to the bedroom. As Nick climbed into her bed, it never even occurred to Jackie to wonder if they would have sex. Since that night two months ago, sexual abstinence was an unspoken agreement between them. Somehow it seemed wrong to lose themselves in each other when Sharon was in such dire trouble. If there was a niggling voice at the back of Jackie's mind saying that it also had something to do with Steven Hyde's visit that same night, she was resolute in ignoring it.

The next day Nick and Jackie were going over some story ideas in the office they shared at CRN, when one of the interns put her head around the door to say Jackie had a visitor.

"Who is it?"

"Didn't say. But he's kind of cute in a scruffy sort of way."

"Steven," Jackie automatically deduced.

"Steven? Your ex, Steven?" Nick asked.

"We'll soon find out," Jackie said grimly. "Show him in, Louise."

As Steven Hyde sloped into her office (sans moustache), Jackie was careful to keep her face impassive. Their last encounter was fresh in her mind and her anger at his arrogance was still strong. Her main grievance, though she would not admit to it, was that he had opened a door she had thought safely locked. So long as Steven was far away in Point Place with his bimbo wife and wanting nothing to do with Jackie, she could ignore his existence because there was no hope. He had kicked that door open when he had given her the choice of a life with him and she was pissed that he had put that on her.

"Why Steven, what brings you onto my home turf? Is there a convention for paranoid commitment-phobic burn-outs in town?"

"Yeah, thought I'd drop in there after I'd checked out the gold-digging spoilt brat conference. I heard you were the head speaker."

"Whoa," Nick said from the sidelines. "You Wisconsiners have strange ways of saying hello." He stood up. "I'm Nick Braddon, by the way."

"Ah, Jackie's latest scalp," Steven said. "You're one of the lucky ones, I hear – got out in just a month. Of course, it's hard to compete with a millionaire. Let me guess – you came home one night to your devoted girlfriend and found your things packed and waiting for you and a Do Not Disturb sign on her bedroom door."

"Well, it wasn't quite like that," Nick murmured, assessing the heated hostility between Hyde and Jackie. Truth be told, their break up was a ruse so that Jackie could date Dexter.

Jackie's eyes narrowed malevolently. "Steven, I am so touched! Not only do you go to the extreme measure of marrying a stripper just to spite me, but you also made the long drive to Chicago for no other reason than to insult me at my place of business. When it comes to being a bastard, you really do go the extra mile."

Hyde was about to retort when Nick stepped in. "I'd choose my words carefully from now on," he warned. "I tend to take exception to people insulting my friends." He put an arm around Jackie's shoulders to make his point.

Hyde did not like or understand Nick touching Jackie, but decided it was time to come to the point.

"Sheath your claws, kitten. The only reason I'm here is to pull you out of the latest mess you've landed in." Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Your new flame, Tanner, is a prize dilhole. Turns out he's into some pretty evil crap – drugs, orgies and leaving a trail of dead girlfriends. I figured even your love of money couldn't stomach this loser."

Jackie's face showed no reaction. "I should think the fact that I dated a skinflint like you for so long is proof that I'm no golddigger."

"Didn't you hear me? I'm telling you, the guy is dangerous. You have to break up with him."

"Thank you for your concern but I know what I'm doing," Jackie said distantly.

Steven looked at her like he'd like to strangle her. "You know what you're doing? This from the girl who took Kelso back because she was sure he would never cheat again! Face it, Jackie, when it comes to men, you have rotten judgement."

Jackie opened her mouth to retort, then shook her head and said, "Nah, too easy."

At this point Nick stepped forward. "You don't need to worry about Jackie. I'll look out for her." Nick and Jackie shared a complicit look which confused and angered Hyde. It was as though they had a secret understanding that excluded him.

"Fine! Get yourself killed," he exclaimed. "See if I care."

Jackie found a twisted enjoyment in watching Hyde so out of control while she stayed cool. "Thanks again for making the trip down here, Steven. I appreciate your concern. It's just a shame that your opinions have absolutely no value to me." And with that, she turned to Nick to discuss a camera angle, dismissing Hyde.

It wasn't until Hyde had walked two blocks before it suddenly hit him that Jackie had out-zenned him.


	9. Hyde to the Rescue

Chapter 9 – Hyde to the Rescue

If someone had told Hyde a year ago that he would one day be lying on a sun lounge by the olympic pool at the Playboy Mansion, surrounded by beautiful girls wearing skimpy costumes he would have had a hard time believing it. If you had then told him that he would be oblivious to his surroundings, he would have known you were lying. But such was the case as the angry young man moodily sipped on a pineapple daquiri, sunbathing in his jeans and Aerosmith Tee.

"I thought for sure she would listen to you," Kelso said, massaging sunscreen onto the shoulders of one of the bunnies. "You could always make her do anything. Hell, you even made her stop craving me!"

"That girl is as stubborn as a truckload of mules," Hyde declared. "I should just leave her to the drug-dealing bastard." Even as he said it, he knew he wouldn't. If there was a chance of Jackie being seriously hurt, he could not stand by and let it happen.

"Excuse me, Mr Hyde" a melodic voice interrupted. Hyde turned to see a well endowed blonde in a bikini holding a bottle of sunscreen. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to rub some of this onto your back or any other… body parts?"

Hyde let out a sigh. "Look sweetheart, I'm a bit busy talking here. Like I told your little animal friends, I don't need any sunscreen or massages or palm readings. Now scoot!"

Kelso watched in amazement as the crestfallen beauty sashayed away to join a gaggle of bunnies sneaking peeks at the sexy stranger their favourite security guard had brought into their midst. "Dude! You just turned down Miss January! Miss January, man! The hottest month of all!"

"Kelso, I don't have time to play games with your harem when Jackie's in danger," Hyde replied irritably.

"Ohmigod – she did it to you too!" Kelso cried, pointing a lotion wet finger at Hyde so abruptly some of it splashed onto his sunglasses.

"Watch it, you moron. What are you babbling about? Did what?"

"Jackie put the curse on you," Kelso said in excitement. "She's made you indifferent to the hotness all around you – gorgeous women are offering to rub your body and all you can think about is Jackie!"

"Kelso, will you shut up and hide your IQ. There is no comparison between me and that time when you were impotent."

"Shhhh! What are you trying to do to me, Hyde? You don't throw loaded words like that around in front of bunnies! You'll get me fired."

"Why? I would have thought Heffner would want his security guard to be a eunuch." Hyde raised the volume on the last word to reach a wider audience.

"Shit! Alright, smart guy. Answer me this then – when was the last time you had the urge to grab a woman, back her against a wall and pound into her until she's screaming in ecstasy?"

"This afternoon," Hyde said automatically.

"Oh." Then it clicked. "Hey, weren't you with Jackie this afternoon?"

Hyde was quiet for half a minute. "Shut up," he said sullenly.

Kelso smirked in satisfaction. "I feel for you, man. There's no worse torture than only wanting the one girl in the world you can't have."

"Hey, if I really wanted Jackie I could have her," Hyde said hotly. "Anyhow, this conversation is pointless. We have to find a way to convince Jackie to stay away from Tanner." Hyde snapped his finger as he remembered something Kelso had said. "Hey, you said there was a girl here who had been to one of those wild parties. We just have to take her to Jackie and…"

"But Jackie already knows about the girl."

"Yeah, but like I said before she wouldn't believe a word out of your mouth. But if we introduce her to –"

"Hey, if she thinks I'm such a liar then why did she take down the girl's name?"

This pulled Hyde up short. "What do you mean she took down the girl's name?"

"Sure. When I first told her about how Dexter is bad news she listened to me really quiet and serious and then asked me all these questions – what's the girl's name, where does she live, what date was the party, what address was it held at – it was like playing 20 questions."

"My God," Hyde said as things fell into place. _I know what I'm doing_, she had said. "It's a story," he cried, slapping Kelso on the arm. "That's why she's involved with that creep. She's doing some kind of exposé on Tanner." A strange lightness filled his head as he realised that Jackie was not in love with another man.

"Really? So does that mean she doesn't need saving?"

"Oh, she needs saving alright!" Hyde climbed off the sun lounge and strode heroically to the parking lot where his faithful steed awaited.

As he drove back to the CRN offices, he had formulated many forceful arguments by which to convince Jackie that exposing Tanner was far too dangerous an occupation. Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to use them for he arrived just in time to see Jackie, clothed in a slinky black dress, being handed into a limousine by the cad in question. His only option was to follow the limo, which he did using advice Jackie had once given him – the trick is always to follow 2 cars behind and in the other lane. After a 30 minute drive to the city limits, Dexter turned into the driveway of a palatial residence from which faint sounds of rock music and drunken cheers could be heard. Hyde parked outside the gates and picked the lock on a side gate. By the time he had done this he had lost sight of Tanner and Jackie, so he kept to the shadows, looking out for them.

"Come with me, Jackie," Tanner said, gently pulling her away from a particularly loopy debutante who was telling everybody she was made of rainbows. "I have something special for you."

Jackie's ears pricked up. Something special might be something she could use against Dexter. If not that, maybe it was a present for her! She followed Dexter into the house and upstairs to a sitting room. She sipped on the Tom Collins Dex had made for her and opened her purse slightly so her tape recorder would be able to pick up their conversation.

"That's quite a party out there, Dex," Jackie said. "Is this one of your houses?"

"No, it belongs to an old college friend. I thought you might like to get away from our fellow guests – they are a little too high spirited at this time."

"I noticed. Am I right in concluding that it's not liquor that's got those people so high?"

"Maybe – why? Are you a puritan when it comes to enhancing the body's natural impulses?" Dex asked with a smile, watching Jackie drink.

"Oh not at all," Jackie said breezily, wanting Dex to feel comfortable talking about his illegal product. "Why, I've been smoking pot since I was about 16. And since then I've experimented with plenty of stuff. You know, LSD, beta blockers, uppers, speed…"

"Have you tried Phenodrexin," Dex asked with a secret smile.

"Um… I might have – what is it, exactly?"

"An aphrodisiac," Dex replied. "Very new, very expensive and very potent."

"Oh," Jackie said, starting to feel warm. "I don't think I've tried that one."

"Oh, I think you have, darling," Dex said in a husky voice, taking the empty glass from Jackie. He noted with satisfaction that her eyes were out of focus. The drug was working quickly.

"Dex, I – I don't think I feel well," Jackie said as she felt her heart beating loud in her ears. Her skin felt like it was being warmed by fire and her nipples were tingling in the strangest way.

"My poor love," Dexter consoled. "Why don't you come and lie down on the bed until you feel more the thing."

As Dexter lifted Jackie into his arms, she was dismayed to find her body would not obey her mind's frantic command to fight him. A part of her was scared and disgusted as his hands started to stroke her body through her clothes but her oversensitised skin found his touch unbearably arousing so that she could not suppress a small moan as his hand slipped underneath her panties and cupped her bare buttock.

Dex laid her onto a king sized bed and with slow deliberation began to undress. He felt wonderfully powerful having this exquisite creature trapped in a sexual spell. His ego would have preferred that stimulants were unnecessary to have this effect, but after a month of circling this gazelle he was ready to pounce.

He was just unbuttoning his shirt when the night was shattered by a harsh voice magnified by a megaphone; "This is a raid. Everybody stand where you are." Running to the window, he saw the stoned party-goers turn into a panicked mob. "Shit," he muttered. Sparing Jackie a regretful glance he darted out of the room, not noticing the man hiding in the shadows behind the door.

"Dilhole," Hyde muttered, slipping into the bedroom. He chuckled as he thought of how he had stolen a microphone while the rock band were taking a beer break and made his panic-spreading announcement. The smile froze on his face as he saw Jackie reclining on the purple satin bedspread, her eyelids at half mast, her lips tilted upwards in a sensual smile he had not seen since they had broken up.

"Steven," she breathed, her eyes glowing. "You rescued me!" She raised her arms toward him in invitation.

"That's right, baby," Hyde said, scooping her into his arms. He was pleased at the way she immediately curled her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. After their last encounter, he thought she might have been a bit more antagonistic. Still, he found the way she started licking his neck to be going a little further than gratitude required. "Uh… Jackie… what are you doing?"

"Oh Steven, I want you to make love to me," Jackie said, now nipping and sucking on his ear as he carried her out of the building.

"Yeah, sure, um… could you not do that right now, it makes it hard for me to remember where I parked my car."

"I can't help it," Jackie moaned. "I feel so hot."

In the moonlight Hyde registered the hazy expression on her face and had a sickening realisation. "Jackie, did you take any drugs?" Jackie's response was to comb her fingers through his hair and suck on his bottom lip. "Jackie! Focus!"

"I didn't mean to," she said with a pout like a naughty little girl.

Hyde spotted his car and walked the last few yards with an erection that was starting to become painful. He dumped Jackie in the passenger seat and tore out onto the highway, wondering what he was going to do with the feverishly aroused girl who was now lying with her head in his lap and starting to get lewd ideas from the position. Hyde considered to himself that a good man would take her back to her apartment, put her in her bed and leave her alone to sleep off the effects of the drug. As he felt the zipper on his jeans being pulled down he reflected what very boring lives good men must lead.


	10. The Heat Is On

Chapter 10 – The Heat Is On

Hyde thanked whatever power was watching over him that he managed to drive back to the Playboy Mansion without crashing his car. Parking the Camino, he pulled Jackie out of the car and asked her if she could walk. Her response was to start climbing his body like a bear climbing a tree until her legs were anchored around his waist. He knew he was never going to get beyond the parking lot in that position so he peeled her off him and slung her over his shoulder, making for one of the service entrances where he could sneak in unnoticed. But if he thought he had disabled her seductive abilities, he learnt his mistake as her hands grasped his ass.

"Jackie, quit it," he growled. Jackie just giggled and squeezed him tighter. He gave her a sharp slap on her rear end to discourage her at which she gasped and then giggled, "Oooh, do that again!" Hyde started to sweat – where the freaking hell was his room? If he didn't find it soon there would be nothing left of them but a smoking pile of ashes in the corridor.

That night Hyde discovered new depths to Jackie's lust and the lengths she would go to satisfy it. Suffice to say that by the time the dawn light crept into his bedroom he was lying next to his naked love slave (one of the games they had played last night) with a fatuous smile and a bad case of cockburn. He surveyed Jackie's naked form as she slept the deep sleep of exhaustion. She was lying on her stomach above the sheets, her legs carelessly spread and her bottom slightly raised from the way the sheets were bunched up under her. As he watched that perfectly curved ass gently bobbing up and down with her breathing, he was seized with an irresistible temptation. He had established his possession of her in every way but one last night – all that was left was the written word. He reached into his bedside drawer and found a black felt-tip pen – perfect! Careful not to wake her, he inscribed in clear block letters PROPERTY OF STEVEN J. HYDE high up on the outside of her right cheek, encircling the brand with a heart. With satisfaction, he spooned up against her back and drew her sleeping form into his arms. Of course, Jackie would spit fire if she ever found out what he had done – he had some scary memories of her rage after he drew a unibrow on her. He must remember to wash it away when they showered together so she would never know.

Still, he had a feeling that no matter what he did he was in for a reckoning once she woke up. Truth to say, he did feel more than a little guilt over taking advantage of her artificially heightened desire. Maybe he could have resisted her if she had not looked at him with eyes suddenly clear and used the "L" word. That had proved to be his breaking point. Therefore, he reasoned, if he was going down he may as well go down in style.

An hour later Jackie felt the morning sun on her face. She knew she had to open her eyes but for some reason her eyelids felt too heavy. Then she felt a warm male body warming her back and a hand circling her, cupping her breast. _Nick_, she thought, wondering what had led to them having sex. Somehow it didn't seem likely. Then her body registered the smell of this man, the width of his bicep and the size of his cock which was becoming turgid along her backside. With a shriek, she bounded out of bed.

"Steven! What the hell!"

"Morning, doll," Hyde yawned, running an appreciative eye over her naked body. Jackie grabbed a pillow to hold against her front. "It's a little late for modesty, sweets," he said in amusement.

"What the hell happened? Where am I? What's going on?" she demanded in rising fury.

"Now, don't tell me you don't remember. After the work I in put in last night, that would be a real blow to my self-esteem." Hyde was enjoying himself – he had his zen back.

Jackie grabbed a sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her so it came under her arms. This had the outcome of revealing Hyde's nudity but he did not seem to share her shyness and made no effort to cover himself. As Jackie took a step away from him she suddenly felt an intense muscle strain running from her thighs to what seemed like every muscle in her pelvic region. She gasped with the shock not only of the pain but what it meant. "We… we had sex?" she asked, outraged. "How is that possible? I would never sleep with you!"

"Beg to differ, sweet cheeks," Hyde drawled. "You were begging to sleep with me last night. It was all "Oh Steven, you're my hero! Oh Steven, please take me again!"

"Hero?" A memory of raising her arms up to Steven and being overwhelmingly glad to see him came back to her. "I was at a party," she said slowly, remembering.

"That's right," Hyde agreed cheerfully. "And it was a hell of a shindig!"

"I was at a party with Dexter." The memories were rushing back now. "He put something in my drink and he was going to… but then you came in…"

"To the rescue," he finished for her. "No need to thank me, babe. We covered your gratitude pretty thoroughly last night."

Suddenly Jackie sprang on him and began pounding him with her fists. "You swine! You complete and utter creep! How could you take advantage of me like that!" She had trouble getting the words out, she was so choked with rage. Hyde grabbed her wrists and rolled himself on top of her, which triggered some more vivid flashbacks.

"Calm down," he ordered, figuring it was time to quit teasing her. "Nothing happened last night that you didn't want to happen."

"Want to happen? You think I wanted to be mauled by a scruffy loser like you?" Jackie spat.

"Well, you seemed to very much want it for two and a half years," Hyde replied, his temper starting to rise. "And for the record, you were the one doing the mauling last night. I just gave you what you begged for."

Jackie's face burned in embarrassment as she remembered her uninhibited actions last night. "That wasn't me," she said in denial. "It was the drug Dex slipped me." With a shove she pushed Hyde off her and then hurriedly pulled up her sheet from where it had slipped down.

"Yeah, by the way, what's up with that? I seem to remember warning you yesterday that Dex was a bad seed and you saying you knew what you were doing. So was last night all part of your plan, babe?"

"You just can't resist a good I-told-you-so, can you Steven? You're such an Eric sometimes." She knew attacks on his masculinity to be the most stinging burn. "What happened with Dex was unexpected. He's always treated me with courtesy before. I wasn't to know he would pull a stunt like that."

"Give it up, Jackie. I know why you're really going out with Tanner," Hyde said.

"What? How could you know?" Jackie said in surprise.

"I was bound to figure it out eventually. It's a story isn't it? You're getting close to Tanner so you can expose him for what he really is." Jackie just looked at him, surprised he had guessed so close to the truth. "It's not worth it, Jackie. The guy's too dangerous. I know you want another big exclusive but it's not worth risking your life."

"You were really worried about me, weren't you?" Jackie said softly.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Hyde said, suddenly awkward.

It occurred to Jackie that as time ran out on Sharon's execution date, Nick had become more willing for Jackie to take risks. Yesterday he had not even asked what kind of event Dex had invited her to, just instructing her to make sure her tape recorder battery was charged and to call him if she learned anything. She had overlooked his lack of concern for her because she knew how worried he was about Sharon, but she could not help comparing Hyde's determination to keep her safe with his preoccupied indifference. She felt her anger fade away.

"Actually, Steven, there's a lot more at stake than just a story." Jackie explained to him Sharon's sad dilemma, Dex Tanner's role in her downfall and the deadline she and Nick were racing to find something to exonerate their friend. Hyde was amazed at the tale, especially by Jackie's loyalty to her friend. It seemed a far cry from the self-centred princess of Point Place. As he realised the seriousness of what was at stake, his objections were overcome.

"Alright, Jackie, if you have to do this you're not doing it alone anymore," Hyde said with authority. "From now on, I'm your backup." He reached over and took her hand, a loving gesture which caused a wave of guilt to wash over Jackie as she remembered that Hyde didn't realise she had a boyfriend.

"Um, Steven, there's something I have to tell you," she began, gently pulling her hand away. "You see, that thing where Nick and I broke up – that never really happened." Hyde looked at her blankly. "You see, we just pretended to break up so Dex would feel free to date me, but we're still…you know…" Even as she said it Jackie wondered how truthful she was being; Nick had felt more friend than boyfriend for a while now. Still, she was officially attached to him and she did not want to compound last night's accidental betrayal by allowing Steven to think she was available.

Hyde was incredulous. Did Jackie really think she could be anyone else's girlfriend after last night? "Jackie, that's crazy. Even if that used to be true, you know after last night you could never belong to anyone but me." The fierce possessiveness that had soared in him last night made it ludicrous that she could conceive of such a thing.

"Belong?" Jackie repeated, taking offence. "Steven, don't go all caveman over me just because of last night. I don't belong to you!" she said, getting off the bed so that her sheet revealed for a moment a certain love hearted statement on her rear end. She did not understand why Hyde suddenly got the most obnoxious smirk on his face at her declaration.


	11. Bunny Burn

Chapter 11 – Bunny Burn

"Hey, Hyde, how did things go last night with – Jackie? What are you doing here?" Kelso goggled at the sheet clad girl.

"Michael! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she scolded, reverting to the intimidating Jackie he had once dated to hide her embarrassment. But when there was sex involved, Kelso had the nose and tenacity of a bloodhound and he wasn't about to let go.

"Whoa! So Jackie was the hot number you were getting all noisy with last night. Way to go, man!"

"Yeah, sorry about the volume," Hyde replied. "But you know how loud Jackie can be when she's being endlessly pleasured."

"Actually, he doesn't," Jackie corrected, wiping the knowing leer off Kelso's face. "More to the point, what are you doing here, Michael? And where is here?"

"You don't know? You're at the Playboy Mansion – the happiest place on earth."

"The Playboy Mansion," Jackie mused. "Hmmm, well then I guess I might as well interview Tiffany and have some satisfaction from the last 12 hours."

"Hey!" Hyde objected.

"I'll just shower and get dressed and then you can introduce us, Michael," Jackie said, switching to her all-business manner.

"Wait a minute, sweetheart," Kelso said, holding his hand up in a stop sign. "This is the Playboy Mansion – the only women allowed on the premises are employees. You sashay up to Tiffany dressed like Lois Lane and you'll get booted out of here."

"What are you saying? I can't interview her?"

"Well, you can but you're going to have to go undercover. And I have just the outfit for you."

…………………………………………………………………..

"This is really pushing it, Michael," Jackie growled, straightening her rabbit ears.

"What? All the girls are wearing this," Kelso replied, running an appreciative eye over Jackie's outfit. Her perfectly toned body was encased in an aqua blue spandex swimsuit cut low at the top and high at the bottom so that it formed a V half-way over her butt cheeks in a manner made even more eye-catching by the white fluffy tail. At least she assumed it was the tail which was making Hyde and Kelso's eyes keep straying to that section of her anatomy and grinning in a way that made her want to clock them.

As she walked out ahead of the two men in her stiletto heels, Kelso whispered to Hyde, giggling uncontrollably "Dude, what did you do?"

"Things got kind of crazy last night," Hyde explained, his eyes riveted to his own name on Jackie's ass.

"I've gotta hand it to you, Hyde, you have some major cahonies pulling this burn after what happened with the unibrow."

Reference to the hail of expletives that had resulted from one of his finest burns made Hyde feel a moment of misgiving. "To be honest, I thought it would be gone when she came out of the shower. But it's not even faded. What kind of freaky pens do they use here?"

"Oh, Heff is into all kinds of latest gadgets. Sounds like you got a hold of one of his permanent marker pens. Guaranteed not to fade. Of course, it's never been tested on human skin before so no telling how long it'll last."

Their discussion was interrupted as they reached the pool area and Jackie commanded Kelso to point out Tiffany to her. Kelso waved to a shapely redhead who was flirting with an ageing celebrity in a bathrobe. Jackie strutted past a number of bikini clad centrefolds sunbathing and bunny girls who were serving drinks or flirting with the handful of male guests. She was too focused on her goal to notice the second glances that came her way as people caught her back view but if she had she would have put it down to her unparalleled beauty.

"Hello, Tiffany? I'm Jackie. I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment."

With a hair flick worthy of Farrah Fawcett Tiffany turned to Jackie. "Oh, are you a new girl?"

"Kind of." Jackie thought she might get more information if Tiffany thought she was a co-worker. "I'm an old friend of Michael Kelso who was telling me that – "

"Oh, you know Kelso? Does that mean you know Hyde as well? All the girls are wild to find out more about him."

"Hyde? Well, yeah, I know him. But what I wanted to ask you was – "

Tiffany scrutinized Jackie's blush. "How do you know him? Ohmigosh, are you the girl he brought home last night? You are, aren't you?"

"What? No! Our relationship is… is strictly professional."

"Maxine was telling us this morning that from the sounds coming from Mr Hyde's room, someone here had finally pulled the sword from the stone," Tiffany continued. "We were taking bets as to which one of us it was but it looks like he passed over the home cooking for some take-away."

Just then Miss January came up behind Jackie and drew some conclusions from what she read and heard. "Oh, so you're a professional? How did you guys meet? Were you a bunny at one of Heffner's clubs and he took a liking to you?"

Another bunny joined the growing knot of girls, but this bunny had gold ears, signifying her position of authority. "What is this I hear? A bunny transfer?" she asked in a British accent.

"She belongs to Mr Hyde, Miss Gabner," Miss January said, envy in her voice. She motioned to Jackie's backside.

"Oh, I see," the head bunny said with a frown. "I should warn you, Miss…?"

"Um… Pinciotti," Jackie improvised.

"Miss Pinciotti that we take our bunny responsibilities very seriously. One of those responsibilities is to be equally gracious to all Mr Heffner's guests and not become the servant of a particular one."

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Jackie interrupted. "I am not Steven Hyde's bunny or servant. We're just acquaintances – a friend of a friend."

"Yet your bottom tells a different story," Miss Gabner said.

"What?"

"Property of Steven J. Hyde," read the head bunny. "Rather a grand advertisement for an acquaintance, don't you think, Miss Pinciotti?"

The blood drained from Jackie's face as she realised Steven's treachery. Her mind went blank as she tried to think of the words to extricate herself from her humiliation.

"Is there a problem here?" said the person she was currently picturing being stabbed to death Norman Bates style. She turned to find Hyde regarding her with a warm expression in his blue eyes which were unhidden by sunglasses. He pulled her numb body against him and whispered in her ear "Follow my lead".

"Well, Mr Hyde," Miss Gabner replied, slightly flustered. "I was just explaining to your… er… female that it is against the bunny code to be blatantly exclusive to just one patron, as the markings on her posterior suggests."

"About that. You see, Jackie and I have an unusual way of doing things. Most girls want diamond rings to show the world that they are promised to one man but my Jackie was so damn proud to be the future Mrs Steven Hyde that she asked me to put my brand on her body so that everybody would know just who she _belongs to_." (he squeezed Jackie's waist as if to emphasise the last two words).

"Oh," sighed the girls gathered around, swept away by the romance. They did not seem to notice how woodenly Jackie stood in Hyde's embrace.

"This is your fiance? But why is she dressed as a bunny?" Miss Gabner asked suspiciously.

"Why? Why you ask?" Hyde stalled. "Because… being a Playboy Bunny was always a dream of Jackie's. Isn't that right, baby?"

"Huh? Oh yes, being a mindless sex object and prancing around in painfully high heels before drooling perverts is just what I told my high school guidance counsellor I was aiming for," Jackie replied with a sugary smile.

"So, missing her sweet loving like I did, I smuggled my own private bunny in last night and then was unable to resist her pleas to be able to wear the sacred bunny costume and meet some real live Playboy girls. I believe she was just about to ask Tiffany here about some of her experiences when you charming ladies came along." Hyde fixed a blinding smile on Miss Gabner. "I would really appreciate it if you could allow my little cottontail to speak a few minutes with this young lady."

Miss Gabner fidgeted with her furry ears as she replied "Well, I don't see any harm in a few minutes conversation. Come, girls, we are neglecting our duties. Justine, Mr Barker's drink needs refreshing and Chloe, your thighs could be a shade more tanned. Back to work, people!"

"I'll leave you to it, toots," Hyde said, exiting with a light slap to Jackie's ass. She mentally added it to the tally of things to make him suffer for.

"So, Tiffany, I have heard you are the authority here on Dexter Tanner," Jackie opened. Setting aside her personal turmoil, Jackie expertly questioned Tiffany about the party of Dexter's she had been to. She was disappointed but not surprised when Tiffany told her the location of the party was not Dexter's house and that she had not seen any evidence of him handling drugs, although everybody knew he was the power behind it all. It seemed Dexter's plausible deniability was still intact. But her luck changed when she showed Tiffany a photo of Sharon.

"Yes, I remember seeing her," Tiffany said after thoroughly perusing the photo. "I remember because Dexter totally lost his cool when she showed up, which is very unusual for him. I was in the foyer on my way out, and she was just coming in. Dex's goons stopped her and called for the big man himself, and she was complaining to me about how her boyfriend keeps her under lock and key and never lets her meet any of his friends. Then Dex comes in and grabs her by the arm and leads her upstairs, reading her the riot act for daring to disobey him. Hey, I hope she's alright. Dex's old girlfriends have a way of falling through the cracks."

"I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen to Sharon," Jackie replied.

"What's this about Sharon?" a familiar voice said from behind her.

"Nick," Jackie cried, practically shooting in the air. She turned around quickly, hoping he was not in reading distance.

"Jackie? Why are you dressed like that?" Nick asked with a quizzical look.


	12. Who Do You Love?

Chapter 12 – Who do you love?

"I was just interviewing Tiffany about Dex's party," Jackie gabbled nervously.

"Great minds think alike. That's what I'm here for."

"Mmmm, Jackie, who is this fine looking specimen?" Tiffany purred, fixing Nick with a sultry look.

"This? Oh this is… Nick Braddon." Even to Jackie's own ears the introduction sounded unfinished.

"Yeah, I'm her boyfriend," Nick added, sliding an arm around Jackie's waist.

Tiffany looked blankly between the two. "Boyfriend? How can you have a boyfriend if you're engaged?" The redheaded bunny was resentful – was one hunky male not enough for this brunette pipsqueak that she had to bogart another one?

Nick raised a questioning eyebrow at Jackie. "There's been a little misunderstanding," she admitted.

"Well, I think what's written on your bony butt should make things pretty clear," Tiffany interjected.

"How dare you! My butt is not bony!" Jackie gasped. Of course, Nick had to investigate after that. There was an ominous silence as he read Jackie's behind. Jackie winced, waiting for his famous temper to erupt. "Mmmrhumphh," was what she heard instead. She turned on him in disbelief.

"Are you laughing at me?" she cried.

Nick tried valiantly to suppress the merriment bursting to get out. "No, no I wouldn't dream – " – a full bodied guffaw interrupted his denial.

Jackie fumed. Just when she thought she had risen above dating men with the maturity of 8 year olds, she finds out her boyfriend is one of them. As his laughter finally calmed so that he could communicate, he asked "How – how did that happen?" He was too busy wiping tears of laughter from his eyes to see the guilty look flash across her face. "Let me guess – you were sunbathing, right? Oh man, that's got to be one of the best burns ever!"

"Well, actually…" Tiffany began but her revelation ended in a cry of pain as Jackie stepped on her foot.

"That's right, babe – the bastard caught me when I dozed off sunbathing. Let's go home now – I've got what I need here." Grabbing Nick's hand, she started to pull him away from the underdressed females who were starting to wonder what new and scandalous predicament the strange bunny-wannabe had gotten into.

"Hold on a minute, Jackie. I overheard Tiffany say she had seen Sharon with Dex. Miss Anderson, would you be willing to sign a statement to that effect that can be used in a court of law?"

Tiffany wavered, torn between wanting to pay back the foot squashing bitch but not wishing to disoblige a man as attractive as Nick. Her libido made the decision. "I guess I might do that, provided you help me with my statement." She sidled up to Nick and stroked a casual finger down his arm.

Jackie rolled her eyes. Tiffany had too much dirt on her for it to be safe to leave her alone with Nick. "We have a lot to do today, Nick, time being short," Jackie said meaningfully. "We'll need a police officer involved anyhow."

"That's true. Alright, Miss Anderson, I'll be back this afternoon with an officer to take your statement. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your civic conscience in this matter."

"Yes, she's quite the humanitarian," Jackie said snidely.

"I look forward to meeting you again, Mr Braddon," Tiffany said, double entendres dripping from her words. She dealt a parting shot to Jackie. "And I believe I see your _owner _coming for you, Jackie."

_Damn_. Jackie turned around slowly for the crowning clash in a morning of awkward confrontations.

Hyde had been distracted from keeping an eye on Jackie by watching Kelso strike out with a witty blonde who picked off his dopey come-on lines like a skeet shooter. When the amusing sideshow was finished he looked over to find the guy Jackie claimed was her boyfriend with his arm around her waist. Without thinking too clearly about what he was going to do or say, he strode towards the couple.

"Jackie!" he called out urgently. She turned towards him with a look that dared him to challenge her. As Nick also didn't look thrilled to see Hyde again, he stumbled for a reason to keep himself in the picture.

"I thought we should brainstorm about how we're going to trap Tanner. I hear time is fast running out for Sharon," he said, addressing them both.

"Jackie told you about Sharon?" Nick asked in surprise.

"Yeah, of course. I'm sure Jackie told you about the dangerous situation I got her out of last night. She was so blown away by my courage that she asked me to help you guys out by watching her back."

"Dangerous? What happened? Jackie, are you OK?" Nick asked anxiously.

"I'm fine, Nick," Jackie said, shooting Hyde a shut-the-hell-up glare. He replied with a play-along-or-I'll-tell-all smirk.

"Just Tanner slipping drugs into her drink. I got her out of there before he could take advantage of her," Hyde said as sanctimoniously as though taking advantage of Jackie was a notion abhorrent to him.

"That bastard!" Nick exploded.

"I know," Hyde said, shaking his head. "The man has no shame. Anyhow, we'd better come up with a new plan. Seems like Jackie's Mata Hari routine isn't going to work out. I mean, how can she pretend she's OK with dating the guy after he tried to rape her?"

"Yeah, that is tricky," Nick said, wrapping his brain around this new obstacle. "Right, let's get going – we'll get some breakfast and work this out."

Jackie realised Hyde had her in a corner. Either let him help or he would take great delight in going into detail about the events of last night. Therefore, when Hyde suggested that Nick go ahead to the diner in his car and he and Jackie would follow in the Camino (after she changed her clothes), she could only force a smile of compliance.

"So, this Sharon must be a pretty special girl," Hyde remarked, adjusting his rear view mirror.

"Yes, she is," Jackie replied shortly, in no mood for conversation.

"Is this her?" Hyde asked, lifting the photo of Sharon from Jackie's purse. Jackie made to grab it back but he held it away from her. "Wow! This girl is smoking hot!" He looked between the photo and Jackie. "Funny, she looks a lot like someone I know."

"Will you just concentrate on driving, please?" Jackie snapped, snatching the photo.

"So you and this girl became pretty close friends, huh? How did that come about."

"She's Nick's best friend – he introduced us and we just found we really clicked. We have a lot in common."

"Really? So not only do you look alike, you think and act alike?"

"What are you talking about? We look nothing alike. We're completely different people."

"Wake up and look in the mirror, Jacks. You both have the same hair, petite build, same shape face and eyes. Let me guess – this Sharon girl is an extrovert, not shy about how gorgeous she looks, dresses like a fashion plate and can talk a blue streak. Am I getting warm?"

Jackie huffed in indignation. "Alright, I've had enough of you and your lucky guesses!"

"I'm just wondering why your Nick is dating a carbon copy of his best friend. Why not just go for the real thing?"

"For your information, Sharon and Nick's relationship is purely platonic. They have been friends since they were little kids."

"Like Eric and Donna?"

"Yes, just like – no, damn it! Oh, shut up," Jackie stormed, turning a cold shoulder to Hyde who only chuckled as he pulled his car up behind Nick's outside the diner.


	13. Revelations

Chapter 13 – Revelations 

Jackie had never had a very high opinion of the male gender – well, her first boyfriend, Michael Kelso, was not a very good ambassador of his kind and the other three male peers she had shared her adolescence with had never been models of gentlemanly behaviour, at least towards her. Now as she looked across the diner table at her current boyfriend and his predecessor, she was reflecting that when God had created Eve out of Adam he should have stuck with the woman and thrown the faulty prototype away.

Take Nick, for example. In the last two months getting his attention had become Mission Impossible, he was so preoccupied with Sharon. She had been the understanding girlfriend when she had thought of Sharon as just Nick's best friend, but Hyde's comments were shedding a new light on his motives. Now that she thought about it, she and Sharon were quite similar – more than one stranger had assumed they were sisters. Surely it was unusual for a man to be able to sleep with a highly attractive female like herself and just – sleep? Hell, if she was lying next to a guy who had lost his family in the Nazi holocaust, he would still be all over her.

And then there was Steven – the zenmaster. Always his goal was to hide his emotions, to show the world how indifferent he was to every good and bad thing that came his way. Once she had thought she knew him better than anyone else, that she could see into his heart. Then he had hit her with a triple whammy – first the "I don't know" when she asked if he saw a future with her, then his passed-out drunk reaction to the prospect of marrying her, and finally there was Sam. That he could replace her so quickly, give to a trashy stranger the promise he had withheld so long from her, had convinced her that he could never have truly loved her, that she was no more special to him than every other sexually convenient woman he had slept with. It was her anger with Steven that had been the catalyst for her new life, enabling her to shut down all memories of what it had been like to be with him. Trust Steven to come back into her life just when she was finally getting over him and reawaken old feelings, not to mention old habits (every step she walked reminded her of what they did last night).

_Man, she looks so gorgeous, glaring at me across the breakfast table_, Hyde thought to himself. _This is how it's supposed to be – me and Jackie having breakfast together after a long night of sex and having her totally pissed off at me. Not that I don't deserve it, I guess. Still, better to have her mad at me than all distant, like I don't count for anything with her anymore. Now, if Clark Kent here would just take a hint and know when he's not wanted, we could really make some progress._

Nick's opening line revealed what was on his mind. "Right, what's the new plan for Operation Free Sharon?"

Jackie shot him an annoyed glance. "Yes, your good friend Sharon. God forbid we should order breakfast first. Does the new plan involve a hunger strike until she's released?" Nick looked at Jackie with such wounded surprise she immediately felt guilty.

"Excuse me, Jackie, if the impending execution of my lifelong friend drove out of my mind your addiction to eggs and bacon."

"I didn't mean it like that," Jackie defended herself. "It's just that – I mean, you never even asked me exactly what happened last night, or why I was dressed like a Playboy bunny or even how come my ex-boyfriend is suddenly my new shadow. Don't you have any concern for me? I am your girlfriend, aren't I?"

"Yes, your behaviour does suggest a certain lack of interest in Jackie," Hyde agreed, enjoying himself.

"Alright, fine, I'm sorry for not being the perfect boyfriend. So go ahead and tell me, what did happen last night? And what exactly did Hyde have to do with it?"

"Would you like me to field this one, Jackie?" Hyde asked.

"NO," she yelled. "Nothing happened – Steven got me away from that party and took me back to his place to sleep off the drugs."

"Good, now that we've established that nothing happened, can we please get back to the business at hand." Nick reached over to Jackie's purse and pulled out her tape recorder. "Maybe there's something on here that will give us a clue on where Tanner is vulnerable. You had it taping last night, didn't you?"

"Yes," Jackie said, trying to remember uneasily exactly when she had stopped recording. As Nick rewound the tape, she suddenly had a sickening realisation that the tape had played out to its end. "No need to play it, Dex never said anything we could use last night." Jackie reached for her tape recorder but Nick held it away.

"If you were drugged you wouldn't remember him saying anything important but it could be on here," Nick replied and to Jackie's horror and Hyde's delight he pressed the "Play" button. Heavy panting sounds coming from two sets of strained lungs could be heard from the recorder. "What's happening here? Were you two running away from Tanner?"

"Exactly," Jackie agreed, cheeks flushed. "The part with Dex is at the beginning of the tape – here, give it to me, I'll show you."

"No, wait" Hyde interjected. "I remember what comes next – you don't want to miss the best part, Nick."

_I am going to kill him_, Jackie silently raged. _I'll take this knife and fork and cut him into bite-sized pieces._

"Oh, Steven," Jackie's voice strained through the machine. "Oh, Steven, please don't stop," it moaned. Nick looked at his girlfriend in disbelief. "Hang in there, Jackie, wait for me," panted Steven's voice in reply. "God, you're so tight." Nick dropped the tape recorder like it had bitten him.

"What the Hell?" he breathed in disbelief. "Jackie? Care to amend your "Nothing Happened" statement?" Jackie lapsed into a red-faced silence. "Oh my God, he didn't write on you when you were sunbathing, did he?"

"Whoa, that keen reporter instinct of yours is spooky, man," Hyde murmured sarcastically.

"Shut your face, you grass-cutting slimeball," Nick snarled. "I don't believe this. I would never – I mean, Jackie, you don't even like this guy! Ever since I met you you've bitched to me about what a bastard he is."

"Nice to know I was always in your thoughts," Hyde remarked to Jackie.

"Nick, I – " Jackie began.

_Here it comes_, Hyde thought ruefully. _She's gonna tell him that I took advantage of her when she was on sex drugs. Ah well, I've been looking for an excuse to throw a punch at this guy for months._

"I'm – sorry," Jackie finished lamely. Hyde regarded Jackie with surprise. Nick's face was stony as he stared at Jackie's downcast face, and then pushed himself away from the table.

"No, I'm sorry," he said angrily. "I obviously misjudged your character."

"Nick, don't go – what about Sharon?" Jackie cried.

"I'll take care of Sharon," Nick answered, walking away. "Stay out of it. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Oh God," Jackie moaned, as her head collapsed into her hands. "What have I done?"


	14. Talking it Out

Chapter 14 – Talking it out

"Oh God," Jackie moaned, as her head collapsed into her hands. "What have I done?" 

"I was just about to ask you that," Hyde said. "Why didn't you tell him how I – you know – seized the moment?"

"Well, he'd tear you apart, for one thing," Jackie said grimly.

"Huh, if you think the hurt would all be on his side you've forgotten what I'm capable of," Hyde replied.

"I don't want hurt on either side," Jackie retorted. "But it's not just that. I remember how scared I was when Dex was about to – use me. I guess I owe you for saving me from that."

Hyde was silent for a moment. "So then what happened between us was not the same thing as if Tanner had done it to you." Jackie shook her head. "How come? I mean, I know I've been a complete asshole to you. Hell, you must hate me more than you do Tanner." Now Jackie remained silent. "Jackie?"

"I don't hate you, Steven," she sighed. She saw the hope in his eyes at her admission. "I don't know how I feel about you anymore. I mean, you break my heart over and over, and then come to me just when I've finally put my life back together. Things would be so much simpler if you'd just stayed in Point Place."

"Things would have been simpler if you'd stayed there, too," Hyde answered. "Not when Sam was there – before that, when you gave me your damned ultimatum that sent both our lives into a tailspin."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Jackie cried. "I was offered the career opportunity of a lifetime. How was I to decide what to do when I didn't even know how you felt about me?"

"That's crap," Hyde snorted. "You knew how I felt about you, even if I wasn't much good at putting it into words. Do you think I'd stay with a girl who drives me crazy on a daily basis if I wasn't in love with her?"

There was a stunned pause after Hyde's declaration, not unlike the first time he had told her he loved her. Hyde held his breath, half expecting the same response from her as that other time.

"I believed that once," Jackie finally said. "It's why I put the decision of my life in your hands – if I hadn't believed you loved me, I would never have taken such a chance of losing you, not after our last break-up."

"Just because I wasn't sure right away about marrying you, that doesn't mean I didn't love you. Just like my getting drunk didn't mean I didn't want to marry you. That had more to do with being let loose in a beer warehouse for the first time in my life. Hell, we all got drunk that day. Bad timing, I admit, but not the cause and effect you seem to see it as."

"You're pretty glib with the explanations now you've had a few months to think about them," Jackie scoffed. "How do you explain the stripper, Steven? We were on the point of getting back together, there's a knock on the door and the wife you were too drunk to remember marrying is standing there. Then the next time I see you, you're a happily married man and suddenly I'm your worst enemy. That's when my belief that you had ever loved me died. That's when I saw how little I meant to you." To Jackie's dismay, she felt her eyes burn with tears. She had to get away from Hyde before she broke down into a pathetic mess. Her intent was thwarted as he grabbed her hand, anchoring her to him.

"Don't say that, Jackie," he said fiercely. "Don't sell yourself short. You've always known your own worth better than anyone else – you should know it is impossible for a man to have you for a girlfriend and not be crazy in love with you." Jackie stopped fighting him but kept her face averted. "Sam was the worst mistake of my life. All I can say is I was never more hurt by anything than I was when I caught you and Kelso in that hotel room together. That time I was self-destructing in Vegas I had gotten to thinking of you as some evil addiction and I figured the best way to break your hold on me was to find another girl – any girl. When I came back to Point Place I thought I had finally cured myself of you but as soon as I saw you I could feel myself getting sucked in again and that scared me to hell because I never wanted to feel the way I had felt in that Chicago hotel – I didn't want to feel anything anymore. So then Sam came and I hung onto her like a lifeline to keep you away from me – I figured with her guarding me I'd be seeing a lot less of you. I thought that was what I wanted." The death grip he kept on her hand softened and his thumb smoothed circles on her palm as she stayed, held by his voice. How she loved his voice. "Then I got my wish with a vengeance – you moved right out of the state. Seems like you took all the colour in my life with you and turned it into an Orwell novel. I kept thinking you'd come back, that you needed me too much to stay away. I never faced the fact that I could lose you until I heard you had a new boyfriend."

"What, you thought I was too _abrasive _for another man to ever want me?" Jackie said, still not looking at Hyde.

"No, of course not. I had no doubt other guys would be hitting on you. I just never thought you'd be interested in any of them."

"You are not the most consistent person, Steven. You think me slutty enough to have sex with your friend a week after we broke up but too pure to date a new man two months later? You can't have it both ways."

"But that's just it. I realised from the shock of it that I do trust you, deep down, that I do believe you really love me. That's when I finally accepted that nothing did happen between you and Kelso that night – even if you had wanted to, you wouldn't be able to have sex with someone you didn't love, not when you were in love with me. Then Randy told me how you were having sex with this Nick and that scared me because that could only mean you didn't love me anymore. That's when it hit me that maybe this time I had really lost you."

"So why did you come to see me if you thought you had lost me?" Jackie asked, looking Hyde in the eyes for the first time. Hyde shrugged.

"I didn't want to spend my life asking "what if". I knew it was a long shot that you'd come back to me but I had backed away from putting myself out there too many times – I felt like I owed it to you to tell you how I felt about you. Of course, I screwed it up as usual and just ended up driving you further away."

"I wouldn't go that far," Jackie murmured, starting to feel a little flushed from the sensation of his thumb circling the fleshy pads of her palm. "I was so mad at you for coming back then, just when I thought I was over you. You created a "what if" for me by making your offer so that in my mind there was always this alternate universe – I'd think _what if I had said yes to Steven, what would we be doing now, would I be happier?_ You have a talent for complicating my life, you know."

"I have many talents," Hyde answered, watching her eyes turn forest green as they did when she was aroused. "Last night, for example." He noted with satisfaction the slight quiver this reminder sent through her frame.

"You are completely amoral, you know that? How do you dare mention last night to me after the things you did to me?" Jackie's voice almost purred over the word "things."

"Well now, I never claimed to be an upright, salt of the earth kind of guy. Even so, I wouldn't have touched you if you hadn't given me the right."

"When did I give you this right?"

"May I enter Exhibit A into evidence," Hyde said, hitting rewind on the little tape recorder and hoping he had estimated the timing correctly. Sure enough, Jackie heard Steven's voice on the tape say, "Jackie, you're not yourself tonight. Lie down on the bed and go to sleep – I'll just be in the next room."

Then Jackie's voice came through clearly; "Steven, please don't leave me. I love you so much – I always have. Even when I told myself I hated you I loved you. Please stay with me tonight – I need you."

Hyde stopped the tape. "Of course, you were taking your clothes off as you were saying that which was also a key factor in my surrender. You need to put the audio and the visual together to appreciate the pressure I was under."

Jackie could not suppress a smile at this additional explanation. Hyde exploited the small chink in her defences and pulled her by the hand he still held captive onto his lap. The kiss began at a leisurely pace with all of eternity to explore the plump bow of her upper lip, the pearl-like smoothness of her teeth and the heat of her tongue. It was Jackie who quickened the pace with an involuntary mewing sound, a plaintive little cry that seemed to beg Hyde to get down to business fast. Then it became one of those kisses they had shared in that first hot summer together, when they would kiss like the oxygen they needed to survive was only available from each other's mouth. Who knows how long they would have continued if they had not been interrupted by the perky voice of the waitress.

"So, do we know what we want to order now or would we like to hear about the specials?"


	15. Conflicted

Chapter 15 - Conflicted

_Short chapter – sorry! And thanks for all the reviews – I feed off them._

"That waitress just blew her tip," Hyde growled as Jackie came back down to earth with a crash.

"What the hell am I doing," she cried, scrambling out of Hyde's lap. "My boyfriend just broke up with me and 20 minutes later I'm frenching another guy."

"Don't worry – I won't think any less of you," Hyde assured her, reaching for her.

"Don't touch me!" she ordered. "You and your… touch hypnosis."

"And what is touch hypnosis?" Hyde asked in amusement.

"Oh sure, play the innocent. You know my body so well you know exactly which of my buttons to press."

"Well, that's only natural, honey. After all, I installed most of them."

Jackie sighed. "Look, Steven, this is moving way too fast for me. I don't want this diabolical chemistry we share forcing me into decisions that go against my common sense."

"Hell, Jackie, what does a guy have to do? I just told you every damn sappy feeling I've had in the past two years – full disclosure, nothing held back. You think that's easy for me? I'd prefer root canal or listening to Captain & Tenille to talking about feelings. When is it going to be enough for you?"

"Steven, there's just been too much hurt between us. Even if I do still love you, I don't know if I could ever trust you not to break my heart again."

"Jackie, I swear I'll never hurt you again," Steven pleaded. "You've got to believe me."

Jackie looked into his face and sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Steven, but I think it's going to take more than words to make me believe that." With a shake of her head, Jackie changed her tack from personal to business. "This is getting me nowhere – I should be focusing on a way to bring Dex Tanner down."

"Whoa, whoa, I thought you were just fired from that gig," Hyde said, not thrilled about the idea of Jackie putting herself in harm's way again.

"Don't you get it? Sharon is my friend. In 2 days time she is going to be shot to death unless I can get some kind of dirt on Dex. I don't care if Nick wants my help or not, I'm doing this for her."

"What exactly can you do, Jackie," Hyde asked in exasperation. "Face it, the game is over. You can't be Dex's girlfriend anymore, not after what he tried to pull last night. Maybe that statement from Tiffany will stop the execution."

"I doubt that statement on its own will be strong enough evidence to warrant an appeal," Jackie disagreed.

"There's nothing you can do, Jackie," Hyde repeated. "I'm sorry. Don't beat yourself up about it – you did all you could."

"Not all," said Jackie, her eyes lighting up as an idea came to her. She picked up the tape recorder. "I have to go."

"What? Where?" Hyde was alarmed by the determined look on his lover's face. "Jackie, I'm warning you I'm not letting you put yourself in any more danger."

"I'll explain everything as we drive – now you go pay the bill and I'll wait in the car."

"Fine," Hyde grumped, walking over to the register. It wasn't until Jackie walked out the door that it occurred to him that they hadn't actually ordered any food. Just then he heard her voice yell "Taxi!" He ran out of the diner just in time to see her peel off in a cab. "Shit!" he cursed, foreboding curdling his innards. By the time he jumped in the Camino, they were out of sight. Hyde pounded the steering wheel in frustration. _Alright, think, man. She's probably going to see Tanner. I just have to find him to find her. And since shady rich guys don't usually put their address in the phonebook, I'll have to find Braddon to find him to find her. Damn, no wonder I never get up before 10.30 – mornings are killer._


	16. The Spy Who Taped Me

Chapter 16 – The Spy who Taped Me

"Mr Tanner, Miss Burkhart is here to see you," Dex Tanner's butler announced to his employer.

"Is she now?" Dex murmured, looking up from the profit and loss report of his South Asia operation. The butler waited patiently as Dex considered whether he should turn her away – no doubt she would be furious with him for drugging her last night. Then again, perhaps her memory was unclear as to exactly what happened and he could talk his way out of it. The decision was taken out of his hands when Jackie overrode good manners protocol and barged into his study. His first guess was right – definitely furious.

"Darling, thank God you're safe," Dex opened, moving towards her with arms outstretched. "I don't understand what happened to you last night – there was some sort of raid and I lost you in the crowd. I was frantic – "

"Save it, Dex," Jackie said with a dark look. "You – penguin man – beat it!" she snarled at the butler. As soon as they were alone, she exploded.

"Who the hell is Sharon?" she accused.

"Sharon?" Dex stalled, unprepared for this line of questioning. "I don't know any Sharon."

"Liar!" she yelled, kicking him in the shin for good measure. While he held his leg in pain, she berated him, "I know everything, you two-timing sleaze. I ran into a girl at the hair salon who knows your little chippy from one of those special parties you never have the consideration to invite me to! She told me about the little slut and how you would take her away to exotic locations – you've never even taken me out of the state!"

"Dammit, Jackie, that all happened before we even met," Dex argued.

"So you admit you dated this Sharon Wilder," Jackie pounced.

"She meant nothing to me," he replied. "She's out of my life, now. You're the only woman for me."

"Fine words," Jackie scoffed. "If that were true, you would have stayed with me last night. What was that about – you prime me with sex drugs, promise me a night of wild passion and then ditch me!"

"Drugs? I never gave you any drugs," Dex denied, expecting Jackie would have his head if she thought he had pulled such a slimy move.

"The hell you didn't! And about time, too. I was starting to think you were never going to share the bounty?"

"What?" Dex was incredulous.

"I tried to tell you last night, Dex – I'm into that scene. What you gave me last night – I mean, wow! We have got to try that again, only this time you had better stick around!" She favoured him with a bad girl smile that made him remember why he had been obsessed with her for the past month. She came around his desk to where he was seated in his swivel chair, straddled his lap and took possession of his mouth with a wild passion that made him lightheaded.

"Something tells me we won't be needing any enhancers next time," he breathed. He tried to pull her head back down to his mouth but she resisted.

"Uh uh! I'm still mad at you," she said though her smile belied her words. "When I heard about this Sharon I went crazy with jealousy. I can't bear the thought of any other woman touching my man."

"You don't have to worry about Sharon," Dex assured her as he enjoyed the way her pelvis was rocking against his own.

"You don't get it, Dex," Jackie breathed in his ear as her teeth tugged on his earlobe. "I want you to get rid of her so I'll never have to worry that she could come back and take what's mine."

"Get rid of her… right." Dex was having a hard time concentrating as Jackie's hands found their way underneath his shirt. "Consider it done. In two more days Sharon Wilder will be history."

"Oooh, baby, what are you going to do," Jackie cooed as she planted nipping kisses on his neck. "Are you going to put a contract out on her? Oh please, Dex – show me how much you want me."

"You are a bloodthirsty little wench, aren't you?" Dex said, amused. "I had no idea you had such a dark side."

"Give me what I want, lover, and I'll show you just how dark that side can get," Jackie purred as her hand unbuttoned his Armani trousers and closed around his hardening cock. _God, she is perfect_, Dex thought, his wolf like intelligence dulled as his lust took over. She had the same evil smile Salome must have worn when she asked for John the Baptist's head.

"She's going to be executed in Singapore," he gasped. "I stashed some drugs on her and the police caught her. In two days she'll be dead." Dex stood up, holding Jackie to him, his hands underneath her thighs. "Now, let's discuss my reward."

_At last_, Jackie thought, _and Steven said my Mata Hari routine wouldn't work. Ha!_ But when Dex swept his desk clear of papers and office stuff and laid her upon the polished wood, she began to think perhaps she should have thought ahead to what she would do after she got the confession.

"Oh no," she cried in simulated disappointment. "I forgot to take my birth control pill. Damnit! Oh well, I'll come back tonight and we can seal the deal then."

"Not to worry – I have condoms," Dex replied, lifting himself off her so he could open a drawer of his desk. She took the opportunity to quickly slide off the other side of the desk, grab her purse and back away rapidly towards the door.

"I – I don't trust condoms – a friend of mine got pregnant from a guy who used condoms," she babbled, feeling for the doorknob behind her. Then there was an ominous click as Dex pushed a button on his desk – she turned the doorknob to find it locked.

"What is going on here," Dex asked grimly, his suspicions aroused by her attempted escape. He moved slowly towards her and noted the panic in her eyes. "One minute you're on me like a bitch in heat and the next you're running for your life. What is your game, Jackie Burkhart?" He belatedly remembered that Jackie was a reporter – it was easy to forget what she did for a living as she rarely talked about it. He snatched the purse from her hand and reached inside to find a hand-held tape recorder, the little wheels turning around and memorising every incriminating word he uttered. "Oh Jackie," he said softly, his eyes cold as a snake's. "You have been a very bad girl."


	17. Guy Talk

Chapter 17 – Guy Talk

"About time you got here," Hyde said angrily as Nick parked his car in a Playboy Mansion visitor carspace.

"What the hell do you want?" Nick growled. "I'm warning you, Hyde, the shock phase of finding out about you and Jackie has worn off. I'm now into the ripping-your-ugly-head-off phase so you might want to stand clear."

Hyde ignored Nick's threat. "Your office didn't know where you were and they wouldn't tell me where you lived. Then I remembered you said you were coming back here to take that girl's statement." Hyde opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat. "We've got to go to Tanner's place right away."

"Tanner's place, huh? Don't know if I can fit that into my schedule, what with having to drive you to the hospital or possibly the morgue once I'm finished with you. Now get the hell out of my car!"

"Cut the crap, Braddon – I think Jackie's with Tanner and she's going to do something stupid."

Nick didn't hesitate; he just put the car in reverse and then with the screech of burning tire tread roared onto the interstate. "When did she leave?" he asked tersely.

"Two hours ago," Hyde replied. "I thought you were bringing a cop."

"He was going to meet me at the Mansion in an hour." There was silence for five minutes, then Nick burst out:

"Damn her! How can she pull a stunt like this on her own? She knows what he's capable of."

"Guess you do care about her," Hyde said, his heart sinking.

"Of course I care, dumbass!"

"I just thought from the way Jackie and Sharon are so alike, that you were just using Jackie because you couldn't have Sharon." Nick stared at him incredulously. Hyde shrugged. "Maybe I was wrong."

"What the fuck are you talking about? There's nothing like that between me and Sharon – and Jackie and Sharon are nothing alike."

"Well, maybe I was off base on this one. Just seemed to me that the only person on your mind was Sharon, and when I saw her picture and Jackie told me how much they had in common… well, you can't blame a guy for jumping to certain conclusions."

"You don't even know Sharon! Sure, they may be a little alike on the surface but that's got nothing to do with why I was attracted to Jackie."

"I thought you just said they were nothing alike?"

"I meant deep down they are nothing alike. Jackie is smart and sexy and self-obsessed – in a cute way – while Sharon is…"

"Sharon's not smart, sexy or narcissistic?"

Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. "Well, she is but – it's different. We've been friends forever, man. She's like my sister."

"Like your sister. So I take it you never had unsisterly thoughts about her." Nick's silence had a guilty feel about it. "Oh my God, you did it with her, didn't you? You totally nailed her! Man, I don't know what the rules are in Illinois but in Wisconsin you could be shot for doing that to your sister!"

"Shut it, hop-head! Talk about Sharon like that again and I'll work you over so good that not even your dental records will help identify your body."

"My apologies – your union with the sainted Sharon was of a pure and holy variety which I am too unworthy to comment upon."

"Damn straight. We were just kids, anyhow – I mean, who finds the love of their life when they're sixteen?"

"So what went wrong?"

"I don't know. There was this guy who was hitting on her, I got all jealous, she got mad at me, big ugly break-up and then all I remember is a year of pain. Just wasn't meant to be, I guess."

"Yep, that's sixteen alright. If you're one of our crowd, it's seventeen, eighteen and nineteen as well. I tell you, I can't wait to turn twenty and leave this whole crappy teenage angst thing behind me. Such a pain blowing every minor problem into some cosmic disaster." Nick was quiet as he thought over Hyde's comment.

"You're saying we were young and stupid?" he ventured.

"That about sums it up."

"Huh," Nick said. No more words were exchanged until they neared Tanner's estate. As the large electronic gates came into view, a sporty black Saab exited through the gates.

"Hey, that's Jackie's car," Nick cried.

"That's not Jackie driving it," Hyde observed. "Too tall."

"Dex," Nick concluded grimly. He accelerated to close the distance between the cars.

"Don't get too close," Hyde warned. "We don't want to get into some wild car chase if Jackie's in that car. Let's just see where he's going."

_Just an exposition note – The reason Dex hadn't disposed of Jackie before Nick and Hyde got there was because he had to wait for a henchman to go and pick up her car – just wanted to make that clear in case anyone was wondering how the guys were still in time 2 hours later_

Nick and Hyde followed the Saab outside of the urban area into a lonely landscape of rugged cliffs sloping down from the winding road. When the Saab pulled over to the side of the road, they continued on around the bend so as not to arouse suspicion, parked the car and then trekked cross country back to Dex. What they then saw chilled both of them; Dex was pulling an unconscious Jackie into the driver's seat. The engine was still running – he was obviously rigging the car so it would carry her over the cliff so her death would look like a driving under influence road accident.

"On my signal, I'll tackle Dex, you get Jackie," Nick whispered to Hyde.

"Right," Hyde agreed. "You got a weapon, man?" They advanced stealthily.

"The best weapon of all – the element of surprise," Nick replied in his best commando imitation. It was a shame Dex chose that moment to glance in the car's side door mirror. Even more unfortunate that the weapon he was equipped with was more concrete than theirs. He pulled Jackie from the car and held a snub-nosed automatic pistol to her head.

"Stand back," he ordered. Nick and Hyde froze in their tracks. "Now put down your weapons."

"Uh… we forgot to bring them," Hyde said sheepishly.

Dex rolled his eyes. "Bloody amateurs! What were you thinking? A couple of shlubs like you could bring me down? Great, now I'm going to have to get rid of three bodies. There goes my 2 o'clock tennis lesson!"

"It won't do you any good, Dex. I've told the cops everything – we go missing, they'll be at your door with a warrant first thing," Nick bluffed.

"Is that so? And what exactly did you tell the police, pretty boy?" Dex cocked the pistol in Nick's direction.

"I know about Sharon – how you planted heroin in her luggage and made her your drug mule. That's where you made your big mistake, Tanner, messing with my best friend."

"Ah, you must be Sharon's friend, Nick," Dex responded pleasantly. "She talked about you nonstop – hideously tedious, I can tell you. If she hadn't been the most perfectly clueless drug mule I ever seduced I would have strangled her months ago."

"Ah hah! Then you admit you stashed drugs on her without her knowledge," Nick accused.

"Oh sorry, is this the part where the master criminal reveals his evil plan to the good guys before he kills them? Didn't mean to miss my cue. Alright, if it'll make you die happy, I admit I used Sharon as a drug carrier without her knowledge. There – can I shoot you now?"

"Nick, I think we should rethink our battle strategy," Hyde remarked, eyeing the deadly piece of metal now trained on him.

"Too late now," Dex said as his finger squeezed the trigger.


	18. Both Hands

_Again, thanks for the reviews. Had an especially large influx of the "Update Now" variety. Hope you find the climax to your satisfaction – could not escape a bit of melodrama with this type of story but tried to keep it in character. Stay tuned tomorrow for the final chapter._

Chapter 18 – Both Hands

The shot went wide as Jackie's elbow connected sharply with Dex's solar plexus. She had woken up from her drugged state ten minutes ago but had pretended to still be unconscious, waiting for the right moment. She turned around to try to wrestle the gun from him but she was still weak and he was much stronger. _At least I saved Steven, _she thought as Dex pushed her to the ground and then cocked the gun at her.

What happened next would replay in Jackie's nightmares for the rest of her life. As Dex pulled the trigger, his face twisted with hate, Steven threw himself on top of her body. She felt a shudder ripple through him as the gun cracked, and then felt his dead weight. Not until she reached around him and felt the warm stickiness of his blood did she understand. As she rolled Steven over, she was consumed with such fear for his life she did not even notice Nick tackle Dex to the ground, sending the gun flying.

"Steven," she screamed, trying to shake life into his inert body. His eyes were closed and his face was growing paler by the second. "Steven, don't leave me – Oh God, help me, please," she sobbed. The very thought of Steven not being in this world made her want to die with him. All their problems, all the wrongs they had done each other were small and petty compared to the finality of death. A gut-wrenching sorrow overwhelmed Jackie, as she begged Hyde to stay with her and kissed his clammy face repeatedly. "I love you, Steven. I love you so much. Oh God, at least let him hear me say that." she weeped brokenly. Then Nick was at her side, his hand on her shoulder.

"Jackie – God, I'm so sorry." Blood was pooling underneath Hyde's body at a sickening rate. As he witnessed Jackie's deep grief, he felt such compassion for her that it pushed out all jealousy.

Jackie turned to him, her face suddenly fierce. "We have to get him to a hospital. Quick, help me get him into the car." Nick obeyed, although he did not see much hope for Hyde. He then threw a knocked out Dex into the trunk of the Saab and tore back to the city at a furious speed. Jackie sat in the back seat with Hyde's body stretched along its length, his head in her lap. As her tears washed his face she whispered words of love, begging him to stay with her. She thought she felt a faint pulse in his neck but was so agitated she could not be sure.

After what seemed an eternity they finally drew up outside of the hospital, screeching into the emergency bay. Paramedics pulled Hyde out of the car and strapped him onto a gurney, rushing him into the ER. Jackie was about to follow when Nick spoke.

"Jackie, I really hate to leave you but I've got to get Tanner to the police and set things in motion. I'm sorry – I'll be as fast as I can." He felt guilty as she stared at him, too numb to comprehend. "It's just – there's more than one life at stake here."

"Sharon," Jackie said as she finally took in his words. "Of course. She needs you. You have to put the person you love first." She said this with no reproach, just as a statement of fact. "I have to be with Steven now."

"I understand," Nick said with a sad smile. "Go to Steven." His words were a benediction to her. With a small nod, she turned and ran into the hospital.

The next four hours were the longest Jackie had ever known as doctors fought for Steven Hyde's life on the operating table. When the chief surgeon finally emerged, he told her that they had successfully repaired the damage the bullet had done to Hyde's organs but their main concern was his loss of blood. Twice he had needed to be resuscitated during the operation and his body had undergone a lot of trauma. In short, it was critical that he wake from his coma within the next 12 hours.

"Can I stay with him?" Jackie asked shakily.

"You will have to wear sterile scrubs but I think we can allow that." _Poor kid_, the doctor thought. _No harm in letting her say goodbye to her boyfriend._

So Jackie stayed by Hyde's bedside all that night, stroking his hand and talking to him – words of love, promises of the wonderful life they would have when he woke up, threats that if he didn't come back to her she would smash all his Led Zeppelin records and paint his car pink. She talked until her throat was hoarse and her eyelids heavy, until her exhausted body finally gave out on her and she fell asleep in the chair. She woke as the dawn light crept into the hospital room, opened her eyes and looked into Steven's sky blue eyes regarding her steadily from the hospital bed. They stared at each other for a good 5 seconds before Jackie blinked.

"Steven!" she cried gladly. She wanted to throw herself on top of him but contented herself with holding his hand tightly.

"Jackie – are you OK?" he rasped from a dry throat.

"Me? I'm not the one with tubes sticking out of me," Jackie chided, reaching for a glass of water. After he had drunk from it, he said wonderingly, "You look terrible."

"And they call me tactless," Jackie griped but she could not stop smiling.

"I just mean your eyes are red. You've been crying?" She nodded. "Over me?" Another nod. This inspired his smug know-it-all smirk that under any other circumstances she would have slapped off his face. But now his typical Hydeness only filled her with thanksgiving. "I'm starting to think you must still have feelings for me, doll."

"Now what gave it away?" Jackie said, trying to control the idiotic smile that would not be repressed. "Was it the way I've been glued to your side since you got hurt? Or the 1,001 times I've told you I love you in the last 12 hours? Or the fact that I've cried so many tears over you your face is cleaner than it's been since swimming season?"

"Come here," Hyde said huskily, pulling on her hand. Gently she bent her head down and kissed him, slowly and sweetly. It was a kiss of love, forgiveness and a new beginning for them both.

"I love you," he said solemnly, holding her gaze.

"I love you," she breathed, stroking his cheek.

No more words were needed.

……………………………

Later that morning Nick poked his head into Hyde's room. The doctors had been so impressed with Hyde's condition that he had been moved from the ICU to the recovery ward.

"Hey Hyde," he greeted. "I hear you're going to make a full recovery. Damn! That's going to play hell with my rep that the guy who steals my girl isn't permanently injured." His hard words were contradicted by his grin as he walked over to take Hyde's hand in one of those manly hand clasp deals.

"Yeah, like anyone would believe a college boy like you could do real damage," Hyde scoffed, returning Nick's grin.

"I never realised until now how much alike you two boneheads are," Jackie remarked as she exited the ensuite bathroom. Nick opened his arms to her and she walked into his embrace for a comforting hug. "What happened with Dex?" she asked.

"The police are holding him for our attempted murders – an officer will be taking your statements today. Good news is that my testimony was enough to get a warrant to search Tanner's house and they found all kinds of incriminating documents connecting him with overseas drug smuggling, including Singapore. The American Embassy will contact the Singapore Government today and are sure they will be able to get a stay of execution for Sharon until Tanner is indited."

"Nick, that's wonderful," Jackie enthused.

"Yeah, I'm happy for you, man," Hyde agreed.

Nick collapsed into a chair, worn out but at peace for the first time in two months. As he observed Jackie plumping Hyde's pillows and Hyde declaring unconvincingly he didn't want her fussing over him, he thought he had never seen such open happiness on her face before. There was something about the electricity that snapped between these two that made him very impatient to get to Sharon and find out exactly what these unfinished feelings they shared meant.

After Nick left Hyde remarked to Jackie, "You're looking more like your usual immaculate self. Enjoy your shower?"

"Mmmm, after all the blood, sweat and tears I never needed one more. Say, what kind of marker did you use on my butt? I soaped and scrubbed at your stupid brand but it wouldn't come off."

"Oh yeah, about that."

"Do I need to use some special kind of cleaning solution? I wonder if this hospital has a dermatologist."

"Well, the thing is…" Jackie regarded his guilty countenance with suspicion. "You see, I thought it was just a regular marker – I'd never even heard of a permanent marker before – "

"Permanent?" screeched Jackie.

"It might not be," he said weakly. "It's never been… er… tested on human skin before."

"Wonderful. Just wonderful," Jackie exclaimed, pacing the floor and gesticulating furiously. "So what, I go through the rest of my life with Property of Steven J. Hyde stamped on my ass like some heifer? Is that what you're telling me?"

"It's not so bad," Hyde argued. "I mean, no-one will ever see it – except me. Its not so unusual if you think about it – the western culture has always been into symbols that signify possession of one person by another. Take engagement rings, for instance."

"Engagement rings?" Jackie repeated, her ears practically lifting upwards like a cocker spaniel that hears its name.

"Say – hypothetically – I was to give you an engagement ring, that would be the politically correct way of saying you're my property. Are you saying you wouldn't want to wear something like that?" For a hypothetical question, Hyde seemed to be pretty anxious about her answer. Jackie suddenly seemed to have a hard time meeting his eyes as she considered her response.

"Well, there's quite a difference between a radiant cut two carat engagement ring in a white gold setting with sapphire brilliants and having you scribble on my ass while I'm sleeping. I mean, I have nothing against engagement rings per se." Jackie peeked at Hyde from under her lashes to find him grinning at her.

"I will keep your position on the matter in mind when I get out of here," he promised.

Jackie laughed joyfully and stretched out on her stomach as close to Hyde as she could without endangering him. He leaned down and kissed her.

"Agreed," she said with sparkling eyes. "On one condition!" He raised his eyebrows. "I'm going to get that marker from Michael and then you, my friend, will be presenting your cheek to me for some matching art work."

"What? No, Jackie, that's going too far." Hyde protested.

"No argument, Steven. If you're going to be my husband, you should start practicing some obedience."

"Yes dear," Hyde said mockingly.

"That's better," Jackie said happily, cuddling her head against his shoulder.


	19. Epilogue

Chapter 19 – Epilogue

Airports are traditionally the setting for emotional reunions and goodbyes. Any people watcher at Chicago International Airport, for example, would get their fill observing the full spectrum of the human experience played out at the departure and arrival gates. Yet as a young man with dark good looks and a great butt paced impatiently at the arrival gate for the 5.17 flight from Singapore, he felt sure no-one had ever experienced what he was feeling.

"Relax, Nick. It's only 5.20. You know it takes at least half an hour to get through customs," Jackie said reasonably.

"Not necessarily. She could have bulldozed over everyone on the plane, sprinted to the checkout and been first through customs. You know Sharon – she's capable of that," Nick argued.

"Man, I have got to meet this chick," Hyde chuckled. "The more I hear about her the more I'm convinced she's Jackie's twin sister separated at birth."

"It's just not fair," Nick muttered. "She's been free for 2 months now and she's only coming home now. She wouldn't even let me come and see her."

"Nick, we've been over this," Jackie said, rolling her eyes. "Sharon didn't want to make her grand entrance back into the States looking like a concentration camp survivor. As an actress, she's a minor celebrity – what if a reporter had taken a picture of her looking like a scarecrow?"

"She could have let me come to her. Like I care what she looks like!"

"Sharon just needed some time to get her strength back," Jackie explained. "She's been leaning on you pretty heavily since she got arrested. I think she was just tired of being a pathetic waif everyone felt sorry for. She needed to be by herself for a while to find her own inner strength."

"Is that more of your homespun wisdom drawn from real life experience?" Hyde asked Jackie as Nick devoted himself to another round of pacing. He took her hand and absently turned the 2 carat diamond ring on her finger.

"Maybe," Jackie replied with a coquettish smile. She raised her face for his kiss – it had been at least 10 minutes since their last kiss and she needed another fix.

"Poor bastard," Hyde remarked of the anxious Nick. "The way women reduce men to strung-out babbling idiots is a crime. It pains me to see a member of my sex so totally zenless."

"Of course, it's not like it's a condition you would have any knowledge of," Jackie baited.

"Hell no," Hyde replied, drawing Jackie closer to him. Ever since his injury he had felt a need – no, not a need, that was too wussy – a preference to have her within reach so he could assure himself with tactile investigation that she was in one piece. Although Jackie had frequently looked at him since the shooting with a touch of hero-worship in her eyes because he had taken a bullet for her, he never forgot how she had first almost taken the bullet meant for him. Nor could he stop imagining what kind of damage that deadly missile would have done to her delicate body when it had come so close to destroying his. Even so, the doctors had been amazed with the speed of his recovery – he was on his feet again in only three weeks. They failed to take into account the motivating power of having the hotness that is Jackie for a girlfriend/fiancee. She had refused to indulge in any carnal pleasures with him until she was convinced her passion would cause him no harm. In hindsight, she was probably right seeing as how it was hard for them both to "play nice" when they got excited. Thankfully his physician had given him the go-ahead last month. As his thoughts drifted to the memory of that night of passion, a fatuous smile graced his face, contradicting his recent tough guy words.

"What are you thinking of?" Jackie asked playfully, knowing full well.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking that I'll have to ride Eugene's ass about who he sells records to. A guy came into the store yesterday asking for KC and the friggin' Sunshine Band and then said if we didn't have it he would settle for Blue Oyster Cult. _Settle!_ If I hadn't been there, Eugene probably would have sold it to him as well! Dumbass."

"I bet your Dad would be amazed by your unique sales technique," Jackie said with twinkling eyes. "Does he have any idea how you run the Chicago store?"

"As long as the sales figures keep going up, he's happy," Hyde replied. "You know, the hard core rocking-out standards I have set in that store has made it The Place for the dedicated metal head to hang out."

"So you like living in the big city now, right?" Jackie asked. She felt in need of some reassurance that Steven did not regret giving up their home town for her.

"Are you kidding? This city is dirty, noisy, crass and a hotbed of crime. It was made for me! I feel like the ugly duckling that finally found the cool happening swans he was meant to grow up with."

Jackie sighed happily. "You know what I like about Chicago? It's a place you can be anyone you want to be. In Point Place I'll always be the spoiled rich kid whose Dad stole the town's money. But here I am Jackie Burkhart, hard hitting news reporter. I think I've come a long way from the insecure little girl who was so caught up in her drop dead good looks."

"Excuse me," a thirty-something woman interrupted the pair. "But would you please tell me who does your hair?"

"Oh, you have to go to Joel Kessler's salon on 23rd Street – ask for the Jackie, he'll know what you want. Except don't set your hopes too high – my hair was born freakishly perfect and that can't be reproduced." As the lady walked away, Jackie explained "I try not to foster false hope – it will only hurt them in the end."

"Oh yeah, you've come a long way alright," Hyde teased. "Ow!" as Jackie smacked his arm. "Well, at least you got the hard-hitting part right." Just then a commotion of camera flash bulbs erupted from the gaggle of reporters in front of them.

"Oh Steven, it must be Sharon," Jackie said excitedly. She pushed her way aggressively to the front of the media pack and then imperiously held out her press badge. "Back off, boys. This one's exclusive to CRN."

"Ohh, no fair, Burkhart," a senior reporter from another network whined. Jackie ignored him and swooped down on a young woman so ravishing she could have stepped off the front cover of Vogue, enveloping her in a hug.

"Jackie," Sharon cried joyfully. "For God's sake, get me out of here!" Although the actress in her revelled in the publicity, right now she was hyped up on an emotional cocktail of relief, anticipation and fear. The confrontation she had been dreading and looking forward to for the last two months was finally here. She could see Nick over Jackie's shoulder and the way he was looking at her put her heart in her throat. But then her dear friend Jackie, who had risked her life to save Sharon's, was standing between them in more ways than just the physical. Suddenly the two months she had just spent at Singapore's top holiday resort didn't seem like enough time to pull herself together and psyche herself into continuing the role of Nick's carefree friend. Lord knows it was a performance she had perfected over the years, you would think she could pull it off now.

"Don't say anything to these hyenas, just smile and nod," Jackie warned as she put her arm around Sharon and briskly walked her to a private room they had reserved. "We can take a back exit to the carpark from here when you've caught your breath," Jackie explained. After the noisy scene they had escaped, the silence in the little room was deafening. Sharon was vaguely aware there was a curly-haired stranger in the room as well as her two best friends but her curiosity was deflected by the sight of Nick who had yet to say a word to her. His silence might be explained by the ring sparkling on Jackie's finger, Sharon thought with a sinking heart. Did he suspect how she felt about him and was sorry for her?

"Hello, Nick," she said, her voice slightly shaky.

"Um, yeah – hey Sharon," he replied, making a gesture as though he was about to hug her but which turned into clapping her upper arms in a good-buddy kind of way. "Welcome back," he added.

Jackie gave the both of them a hard look. She recognised this awkward emotional constipation, having studied it extensively at close hand. These two mixed up people had a bad case of the Hydes. It would take a master of subtlety to straighten this tangle out.

"Oh, for God's sake Nick, stop being such a geek and french her already," Jackie ordered.

"What?" Sharon said in amazement. "Jackie! What are you talking about? Nick and I don't – we wouldn't – "

"I know but don't you think it's about time that you did?" Jackie replied with an amused smile. "I mean, you _could_ keep getting involved with social misfits and drug dealers to get his attention, and Nick _could_ keep finding girlfriends who remind him of you, but I'm thinking it would be simpler if you just cut through all that crap and told each other how you really feel."

Sharon blushed beet red. "But I thought you and Nick are…" she waved towards Jackie's engagement ring.

"And on that note," Hyde came forward "I think it's about time Jackie remembered her manners and introduced me to you."

"Sharon," Jackie said, bursting with pride, "I'd like you to meet my fiancee, Steven Hyde."

"Oh? Oh! You're getting married? And not to Nick? That's wonderful!" Sharon and Jackie went into a happy hugging and jumping ritual that mystified the two men. All at once Nick was seized with impatience; he felt like he had been waiting all his life and couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed Sharon's hands and drew her close to him.

"Sharon, I know we said we'd never go down this road again but the thing is I don't think there's ever going to be anyone else for me but you. I don't know about you but these last few months have really opened my eyes to the fact that I…" Nick started to falter; _come on, Nick_, Jackie silently cheered. _Give me an L, Give me an O…_"..that I love you, Sharon. I really love you and if you'd just give me a chance I'd – " The end of that sentence would forever remain a mystery as Nick was cut off by Sharon grabbing the back of his head and pulling him into a rapturous kiss that left no doubt about her feelings.

Hyde pulled Jackie to the other side of the room to afford the blissful couple some privacy.

"Oh Steven," she sighed as she cuddled against his muscular body, "I do so love a happy ending."

"Yeah, I know," Hyde replied. He chuckled as he remembered something. "That was kind of funny how Sharon thought it was Nick you were engaged to. That's the problem with engagement rings – too open to misinterpretation. Now if you were wearing that Playboy outfit again, there would have been no confusion."

"Laugh it up, Dumbass," Jackie retorted, her hand gripping his left buttock. "If you want to go making things _that _clear, then you're welcome to show her _your _ass."

THE END 

_Finished at last! It's been a long strange journey but I am pleased where it ended up. Thanks again for all the feedback._


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